Thursday: Räikkönen delayed, Alonso fast for Ferrari
Fernando Alonso was competitive on this first day on the Rock. Kimi Räikkönen was slightly behind and missed the second practice session due to a mechanical issue.
Fernando Alonso (No. 14) – 4th and 1st
The Spaniard has his little trick in the Principality: « Here in Monaco, the most important thing is to do as many laps as possible, because it’s a very special circuit and you need to have a good feeling with the car. »
Despite the rain, he managed to complete his program and is already looking towards Saturday afternoon: « With or without turbo, the complexity of this track remains the same, so it will be crucial to qualify well. The increase in grip we found during the few laps on super-softs leaves us no doubt that we will use them on Saturday afternoon, whereas for the race, there’s still much to learn since no one has done long stints. »
Kimi Räikkönen (no.7) – 6th and 22nd
The Finn experienced mixed fortunes today: « This morning, on a dry track, we tried different setup options without encountering any particular problem, except for a lack of front-end grip under braking. This afternoon, we made some changes to improve the car’s balance, but having waited an hour without being able to go out on the track, a gearbox problem prevented me from finishing the session. »
He emphasizes the importance of Saturday for him: « We will try to get the most out of the FP3 session to complete our program for qualifying, which we know is the key factor here. »
