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The tifosi can rest assured that they will sleep well tonight. The 2nd free practice session of the 81st Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco saw Charles Leclerc, fastest in his Ferrari, do better than three world champions: Lewis Hamilton, fastest in the 1st session, Fernando Alonso and Max Verstappen. That’s 12 world championship titles altogether!
Saturday’s qualifying session promises to be sumptuous. The top four drivers in this 2nd session, all grouped within half a second, still have their work cut out. They didn’t spend the whole session on soft tyres in order to set the best possible time, and they ended the session preparing for the race on medium or hard tyres. And one thing is certain: the suspense is going to be total on Saturday at 17:00.
With a time of 1:11.278, the Monegasque, who has never yet stood on the princely podium in his native country, did better than Max Verstappen last year in qualifying (1:11.365), when he took a sensational pole position by taking all the risks, and converted it into his second win in Monaco the following day.
That was the main lesson to be learned from Friday’s race: the Ferraris are ready, efficient and fast, and Charles can aim for pole on Saturday, but he’s not the only one. Lewis Hamilton, seven-time world champion and three-time winner in Monaco, showed once again, after his best time early in the afternoon in the 1st session, that he really is a force to be reckoned with this weekend.
Sir Lewis took 2nd place in this 2nd session, less than 2 tenths behind Leclerc, driving slightly faster than Alonso and Verstappen. The Mercedes is much more efficient on the streets of Monaco than on the very fast circuits at the start of the season, where it was unable to keep up with the infernal pace of the Red Bulls, McLarens and Ferraris. And McLaren remains in the hunt, thanks also to the talent of its young drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. They are both dreaming of springing a surprise on Sunday. Or perhaps in qualifying on Saturday? Wait and see…
