Monaco Grand Prix – Ferrari’s pace surprises Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton praised the very good pace displayed by the Ferrari during the first two free practice sessions of the Monaco Grand Prix.
During the free practice sessions that took place on Thursday, it was the Scuderia Ferrari that impressed with its good performances. Firstly, Carlos Sainz took second place in FP1, while Charles Leclerc was stopped due to a gearbox issue. However, he came back strong in the afternoon to lead a Ferrari one-two in FP2. The Monegasque driver finished ahead of his Spanish teammate by a tenth of a second and left the championship leader Lewis Hamilton more than three tenths behind.
This result comes as a surprise after Mercedes and Red Bull had literally dominated the beginning of the season, seeming to be out of reach for the midfield drivers. Hamilton remained optimistic after Thursday’s tests in Monaco, as F1 returned to the Principality for the first time in two years.
« Generally, it’s just really cool to be back on track, » declared Hamilton.
« I think that Ferrari are really strong, it’s surprising to see them improve so much, but it’s good. It means more competition. »
When asked if he believed Ferrari’s pace was genuine, Hamilton replied: “I see what you see. I’m usually focused on my own work. It looks like it. We will see.”
Lewis Hamilton « It’s surprising to see Ferrari improve so much, but it’s good »
It had been almost two years since the prancing horse team had not achieved a double in an F1 session. The last time was in Interlagos during the second free practice session of the 2019 Brazilian Grand Prix.
On his side, Hamilton is looking for a fourth victory at the Monaco Grand Prix this weekend, in order to increase his lead, currently at 14 points over Max Verstappen in the drivers’ championship. The battle is shaping up to be tight again between the two title contenders, with Verstappen finishing the FP2 with the fourth-fastest time, just seven hundredths of a second behind Hamilton.
As for the second Mercedes driver, Valtteri Bottas finished the day on Thursday in fifth position but felt he was struggling to turn in low-speed corners.
« I lack a bit of drive coming out of the car on this track », said Bottas.
« It’s mainly slow turns, and if you don’t have any feeling in the front, you can easily lose a lot of time. I also feel like our car is quite stiff on all the bumps and the cambers in the turns, it’s quite disturbing. It’s something to watch out for.
Valtteri Bottas « I’m lacking a bit of front end with the car on this track »
