MONACO.- A first day of hope for the local idol. At the wheel of your Ferrarithe Monegasque Charles Leclerc This Friday he set the best time of the first tests of the eighth round of the Formula 1 season, in the glamorous streets of the Principality.
Under a threatening sky, Leclerc relegated the British Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes), who had been the fastest in the first session, to 188 thousandths.
“It seems like we have a good car for this circuit and I felt confident,” said Leclerc, who has been very consistent since the beginning of the season, but who has always found it difficult to shine in the Principality.
Between 2017, when he was still competing in F2, and 2021 he always suffered technical problems or knocks. Last year he was sixth and in 2022 he was at the foot of the podium.
The Spanish Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) was third, about half a second behind Leclerc.
Max Verstappen, leader of the World Championship, was fourth, ahead of the British Lando Norris, in great form in recent weeks with his McLaren – winner in Miami, second in Emilia-Romagna.
‘Mad Max’, current triple world champion, had been 12th in the first session, which he raced with medium tires – less fast than the soft ones -, showing that he does not seem comfortable with his Red Bull in the Principality.
He complained at the beginning of the second session that his car was “bouncing like a kangaroo.”
“The car lost a lot of time on each lap and on this circuit a boat can cause you to crash into the wall,” he explained later.
Ferrari’s great obstacle:
Last weekend in Emilia-Romagna the Dutchman also suffered on the first day of testing, which did not prevent him from achieving pole position in Imola and victory in the race.
In fact, if he sets the best time in Saturday’s qualifying, the Dutchman, who already won last year in Monaco, will break a 35-year-old record.
At the wheel of the powerful RB20, the reigning champion signed his eighth consecutive pole in Italy, since the Abu Dhabi GP, at the end of the 2023 season, equaling the legend Ayrton Senna.
On Thursday Verstappen had noted that Monaco “was one of the most difficult tracks” for Red Bull. “It is never simple, it is a very delicate circuit for everything to work as it should.”
After the Top-5, the Spanish Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) was sixth and the Mexican Sergio Pérez (Red Bull) eighth.
As usual on the streets of the Principality, the test will begin from the classification because overtaking is almost impossible in the race.
On Saturday the drivers will take part in a third and final free practice session before qualifying.
Source: AFP
