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Russia’s Robert Shwartzman (Prema Racing) has already shown, in Formula 2 free practice Thursday morning, that his experience could prove useful this weekend in Monaco, where three races are scheduled on the F2 agenda. Last year, he finished 4th of the series, with 4 wins, which was an impressive result for a rookie. The year before, he was crowned FIA F3 Champion, for his first and only season in the category.
With a fastest lap in 1 :22.041, the St Petersbourg native was half a second faster than Britain’s Dan Ticktum (Carlin), followed on the timesheet of this session by another Russian driver, the very promising Juri Vips (Hitech GP). One of their compatriots, Gianluca Petecof (Campos), had a major issue when his engine blew up at Sainte-Dévote, producing a huge smoke cloud when he tried to continue driving towards the Casino. He then stopped his car in a safe place, surrounded by ACM marshals who proved very efficient, as always.
The Orange army is famous in the whole world of motorsport and had to act several times Thursday morning, always with total commitment and efficiency, in order to take care of single-seaters in deep trouble. The Chinese leader of the series, Guanyu Zhou (Uni-Virtuosi), had to be happy with the 9th time of the session, almost one and a half second slower than Shwartzman. Not very encouraging for him before qualifying scheduled for today, between 1 :20 and 2 :00, for two groups of 11 cars.
Formula 1 is back in Monaco, with 20 drivers including four World Champions (Lewis Hamiton, Fernando Alonso, Sebastian Vettel, Kimi Räikkkönen), who all won at least once in the streets of the Principality, and four younger drivers who never drove an F1 car on the toughest track on the calendar (Mick Schumacher, Yuki Tsunoda, Nicholas Latifi, Nikita Mazepin). The sun was shining and the show was brilliant in front of thousands of masked spectators having passed a PCR test in order to access the grandstands. In these very hot conditions, the quickest driver was Mexican, in the person of Sergio Pérez (Red Bull), who clocked his fastest lap in a promising 1 :12.487, only two seconds slower than Hamilton’s pole position in 2019 (1 :10.166)
Several experts such as Toto Wolff, the big boss at Mercedes F1, expected the Red Bulls to be faster, they were right : 10 minutes before the end of the session, Max Verstappen, followed by Sergio Pérez, settled down on the first lines of the timesheet and eventually, the Mexican recruit of the Austrian team won this first match. He did slightly better than a very promising Carlos Sainz, 2nd for his first outing in Monaco at the wheel of a Ferrari, Verstappen 3rd in the other Red Bull-Honda, and a very surprising Pierre Gasly, 4th in his Alpha Tauri. As they often do during the first free practice sessions, Mercedes drivers took it easy and posted the 5th and 6th times, half a second slower than their Mexican rival.
The crowd had all reason to be disappointed since local hero Charles Leclerc could only complete 4 laps before parking his beautiful Ferrari in the garage for the rest of the session, he had a major gearbox issue. « I don’t understand, is my engine broken ? », he asked his crew. In the meantime, his Spanish team-mate managed to clock the 2nd time of the session, only one tenth of a second slower than Pérez, ahead of Verstappen, in the other Honda-powered Red Bull. A very promising result, waiting for FP2 scheduled at 3 pm.
Follow the 78th edition of the Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco throughout the week-end on CANAL+ with an exclusive program.
The young F1 driver retired, Romain Grosjean, will start its new career of TV Consultant with Canal Plus this week-end.
You will have also the possibility to watch all live the F1 sessions on Monaco Info, and also the Porsche Supercup Race and the Lap Tour of the Princely Couple from 14:10 on Sunday 23rd .
Find all the TV Broadcast Coverage by countries on the following link: https://www.formula1.com/en/toolbar/broadcast-information.html
A few weeks before Monaco Grand Prix, the Monaco-born Scuderia Ferrari driver talked to the Monégasque media about his home race. He is more confident than ever about this 78th edition because he knows the track by heart and because his Ferrari, this year, is much better than the one he drove last year. So who knows what can happen this weekend in the streets of the Principality ?
You have never completed a Monaco Grand Prix since the start of your single-seater career. Do you feel like you are cursed here?
No, I don’t believe in curses (he laughs). These are things that happen, it’s bad luck and unfortunately it happened to me the last few times. However, before single-seaters, I won here in go-karts (he smiles). I will do everything to get the best possible result this year.
What is your favourite turn on the track?
The S at the swimming-pool because we go through that portion at incredible speeds being very close to the barriers; we have no room for mistakes. That’s what I like the most. I also have fond memories at the pool with friends when we were younger.
What is the main improvement of the SF21 compared to the SF1000?
It’s hard to say, it’s a new car so there are lots of differences… The car’s balance has been improved, so it is easier to drive. There was no revolution on the car between 2020 and 2021, it is more of an evolution. 2020 has been a really tough year, although I’ve learned a lot, especially from my mistakes.
Carlos Sainz Jr. replaced Sebastian Vettel as your teammate. How would you describe your relationship with him?
Everything is going well between us. I have never spent as much time with a teammate as I have with Carlos before. We get along well because we are almost the same age, we are at the same point in our career and we also have a lot of common interests such as padel tennis, golf or chess…
And at work?
We work well together and expect the same from the car, which is very important. We have the same desire to bring Ferrari back to winning ways. There is a lot of motivation and I’m sure we will push each other on the track for better results.
Do you feel like you’ve changed status within the team?
Not really. Even though I’ve turned from being the least experienced driver in the team to the one who knows the Scuderia best, Carlos has been in F1 for more years than me. My goal remains the same: to give my maximum every time I am in the car.
© Olivier Caenen
F1 is back in Monaco after two years of absence…
I’m so happy to be able to race at home again, I can’t wait. The Monaco Grand Prix is necessarily very special to me, it was always a dream to take part in this race. The cancellation was hard to accept last year, but fortunately the ACM was able to find solutions for this year.
As a Monegasque, you are in great demand here. Is it a more tiring weekend than the others?
Yes, in Monaco and Italy, it’s always very demanding and it’s not easy to manage. But I’m not complaining, it’s better that way than the other. It’s always very special to be in Monaco and I feel it every time.
What’s your opinion on Monaco marshals ?
They do an exceptional job and without them the Grand Prix could not take place. Coming to F1, I found out about them and realised how well prepared they are here. Even if throughout the season marshals on other circuits are well-trained, Monaco marshals are still a step above. They are really impressive and they play a major role for us and our safety.
© wri2.net – Jean-François Galeron
This is an historical date for Williams Formula 1 Team: this Monaco Grand Prix will be the 750th in the history of the squad founded in 1975 by by Sir Frank and his partner in crime, Sir Patrick Head. This accounts for races entered by Frank Williams Racing Cars in 1975, then Williams Grand Prix Engineering from 1978, but without including the time in 1976 when the Williams FW 05 cars driven by Jacky Ickx, Michel Leclère and Arturo Merzario carried the banner of Walter Wolf Racing, founded by the Canadian billionaire.
Then Williams won 9 Constructors world titles, 7 Drivers crowns, 114 F1 races, and the Didcot started going down, until it was bought out last year by an American investment fund. The staff has changed, the Williams family has retired, but the name stays and high ambitions are set by the new owners.
In order to make this 750th GP memorable, the very talented George Russell, who had subbed for Lewis Hamilton at Sakhir GP, last November, in a Mercedes, will carry a special helmet. And he has another idea to celebrate the occasion : getting into Q2 on Saturday afternoon. This would be quite an achievement !
Two World Champions, Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton, discussed the glorious history of Formula 1 on the eve of the first free practice sessions for Monaco Grand Prix 2021. The oldest of the two, the Spaniard, has been crowned twice (2005, 2006) with Renault F1. He now drives a blue Alpine, ha has already won in Monaco (2006, 2007), each time starting in pole, and he also won Le Mans 24 Hours for Toyota, but not yet at Indy 500. His experience his immense and he believes that the races of our times will be appreciated, in 20 or 30 years time, just as much as the 70s races are lauded today by nostalgic fans who miss the fights between Lotus, Ferrari, Tyrrell, Williams and McLaren.
© Olivier Caenen
« I don’t think we can compare cars and years, championships and driving styles », Alonso said on Wednesday. « I think that in those years, it was amazing to drive these cars in Monaco. I can only imagine how hard it was, and how tricky it was at the same time. Now we have cars that go 15 or 20 seconds faster per lap. But the challenge is still the same and you have to maximise the package that you have in your hands. It doesn’t matter if you’re running in 1’30s or in 1’10s, at the end of the day it is the same spirit that has to go into the driving. So I respect a lot what the F1 drivers of the past achieved, and how they were able to drive those cars. And now I think it will be the same respect in 20 or 30 years’ time when fans watch the races that we are doing now.”
A Monaco resident, Hamilton already won three times in the streets of the Principality, for McLaren (2008) and Mercedes (2016, 2019). He is still very excited by this very special track, after all these years : « Just driving the track, in practice or in the race, going through the tunnel, up into Casino, the whole experience for the weekend is mesmerising. And that never changes. The feeling of winning here is never any less. Every year is unique and special if you are lucky enough to get the opportunity », he adds. By the way, in his own match against Alonso, with regards to Monaco wins, Sir Lewis is leading 3-2…
Defending Formula E champion Antonio Félix da Costa (DS Techeetah) won his first race of the season, in style, at the end of a superb race in the streets of Monaco, on Saturday afternoon. The Portuguese started on pole for this 4th Monaco E-Prix, but he had to resist a serious customer in the person of Robin Frijns (Virgin), who led the race two or three times and eventually finished in 2nd position, thanks to a lack of power on Mitch Evans’s Jaguar in the last lap.
The Kiwi finished the race with 0% power in his batteries but could still climb on the podium with da Costa and Frijns, where all three drivers were congratulated by HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco and FIA president Jean Todt, fully equipped with masks and white gloves.
This is the 2nd win for DS Techeetah this season, after Jean-Eric Vergne’s masterful display in Race 1 in Rome. « JEV », the winner in 2019 here and double Formula E FIA champion, managed to finish 4th, the same place as on the grid, after an eventful race which saw him miss the first pass at Casino for catching the Attack Mode. The best move of the day was definitely an audacious overtaking manœuvre by Evans on da Costa at the end of the Beau Rivage uphill portion, in a very spectacular location, just before the Casino curve.
This is the 4th time, out of 4 Formula E races in Monaco, that the poleman wins at the end, but this time the scenario was perfectly written and suspense was maintained until the chequered flag. It was only interrupted for a few minutes when the one and only Safety Car period allowed all drivers to cool down, less than 15 minutes before the end, following the Mini Electric. The two leaders of the World Championship, Nyck de Vries and Stoffel Vandoorne (Mercedes), ended a terrible Saturday in respectively 20th and 22nd positions. But they remain at the top of the FE standings, ahead of Frijns, the Virgin driver, Bird and Evans, the Jaguar drivers.
Final result (provisional) :
He may be a rookie this year in FE, but Norman Nato, the 28-year-old from Antibes, has already accumulated huge experience in motorsport, mostly in single-seaters and endurance. He should have climbed on the podium twice already this season, after superb races in front, but each time he suffered a penalty which wasted his results. However, he is happy and confident before the home race for Venturi Racing, the one and only Monégasque racing team at international level, as Team Principal Susie Wolff pointed out on Friday.
©ACM / Folleté
« To drive in Monaco is a dream when you are a kid, even if you drive a go-kart, as I did when I won the Monaco Kart Cup (in 2010) », Norman said on Friday, in the press conference before the Monaco EPrix. « It’s great to be back in Monaco, in a Formula E, for our home race, and it’s definitely a special moment in our season. It was frustrating to lose two podiums in six races, but it’s better to finish twice in a podium position, as a rookie, than finishing 9th with a few points. I had to change my mindset over the winter, in order to be more aggressive, and it worked. We have a good car, I am improving my energy management, and I will keep pushing for podiums », Norman added. And you can be sure that he will try his best to make Susie Wolff happy, come Saturday.
Sébastien Buemi has already been crowned FIA Formula E Champion, in 2016, then Endurance World Champion and he also won the prestigious Le Mans 24 Hours. He is one of the very best FE drivers and he won two E-Prix out of three in Monaco (2016, 2017), so that he is in a perfect position to judge the interest of using the F1 track here : « I love it even better since I had to use the small track the past three times. It was not adapted any more to the field of 24 cars that we now have in FE, it was mission impossible on a 48-second lap. With our Gen 2 car, we expect to lap this year in 1 :30 approximately, which is not bad for an electric car ».
The Swiss driver is the king of FE qualifications, the one who clocked the greatest number of pole positions since the launching of the series. He loves qualifying because « we are able to use 250 kW, this amounts to 25% extra power compared to race mode. Here, I expect to reach 235 km/h at the tunnel exit. This is a big +step+ compared to race mode, when we have to take great care of the available amount of energy ».
Just like Jean-Eric Vergne and Stoffel Vandoorne, Buemi raced in Monaco aboard a F1 car, but « whether you have raced here in F3, F2 or F1, it does not change much of anything, and there is no FE driver who will discover the track this weekend », the Swiss driver adds. He is the favourite driver for Japanese car manufacturers, since he races for Nissan in FE, Toyota in endurance, and he is still a reserve driver for Red Bull-Honda.
Buemi is not happy about his season start, but he remains hopeful : « We had an extremely complicated start, but we have explanations. We had the old PowerTrain and here we can use the new one, for the first time. This does not mean that we are going to win races, but it will definitely help. The car is now homologated until the end of Season 8, at the end of the +Gen 2+ era, so we had to be cautious. I hit a wall in Ryadh, I took a penalty in Rome, I was hit at the back by Lotterer in Valencia, we have not reached the level of performance that we expected », he adds.
Based on his experience of FE, Le Mans 24 Hours winner judges that the level of competition has been raised since Porsche and Mercedes joined, and also « because the rules have been stable for a few years, which makes a big difference. Mercedes has an edge, they won three races out of six this year, and they are always at the front. This is not a series that you can dominate, because of the qualification groups, and because the levels of performance are very close, but they definitely have an edge ».
Last but not least, Buemi thinks that « there is a level of impredictability in this championship that is a bit too extreme now. There is no more logic. When I go back to endurance racing, I find a general frame which varies less, with a similar level of performance from one weekend to the other… »
Racers and fans will have to get up early on Saturday, and there is a good chance that they will go to bed very late.
The schedule for the 4th Monaco E-Prix is heavy, with 24 cars on track and a number of promotional events organized by the 12 teams entered in the Formula E World Championship. There will be ups and downs, surprises and crashes, with an amazing casting of talented drivers. One thing is already sure : spectators, around the track and in front of their screen, are going to have fun !
Here is the schedule :
8h00-8h45 : Free Practice 1
10h15-10h45 : Free Practice 2
12h00-13h00 : Qualifications (Groups 1, 2, 3 et 4, then Super Pole with Top 6 drivers)
16h00 : 4th Monaco E-Prix (45 minutes + 1 lap)
