Forget Max Verstappen, but with the exception of his most loyal supporters, those present in Monte Carlo hoped it could be the right occasion to celebrate a different result. When the Dutchman passed over two tenths behind at the Piscine, it really seemed that Fernando Alonso could celebrate a new pole position. Once under the checkered flag, however, the world champion climbed up the standings, catching both the grandstands and the press room by surprise. At the press conference, Verstappen was aware that he hadn’t put together the perfect lap, but his third sector was the greatest driving demonstration of this season and probably beyond.
The fight between Verstappen and Alonso
Max’s weekend didn’t get off to the best possible start, as he suffered a serious set-up crisis during the first free practice session. Red Bull in this denoted readiness and decision, immediately putting the Dutchman in the conditions to perform at his best already from the following tests. In qualifying, however, the RB19 alone would not have been enough, as the evolution of the track forced strategic choices topped off with a pinch of risk. Contrary to his colleagues, in Q3 Verstappen made the first attempt, then two cooling laps and then again a high attack on the time. Only at that point did Max return to the pits, running the risk of running into a red flag, but also with the possibility of taking advantage of the better track conditions, as he was the last to go out. So it was, but in his decisive lap Verstappen arrived at the Saint Devote with tires and brakes not perfectly in temperature. The number 33 therefore tackled the first two sectors without the necessary confidence, reaching the third sector two tenths behind. At that point the world champion threw his heart over the obstacle and with the push of a few low walls he overturned the result.
Verstappen’s record recovery comes right in that sector that Aston Martin suffered mostly all weekend. Alonso has tried everything, stating that he has taken quite a few risks. It was a tight and exciting fight, with the AM23 being very competitive on the “load” curves of the first sector and just as much in the central section. Precisely these splits could have raised the temperatures of the rear tires of the Spaniard, who found himself lacking in grip in the final sector. However, Alonso heartened the team, commenting on the result as if it were a pole position. The Asturian recalls how qualifying has never been the strong point of this Aston Martin, excellent in managing tires in the race but not so much in putting the tires at temperature. Fernando flaunts calm, but in the meantime he doesn’t skimp on some superstitious outings, anticipating every possible setback for Verstappen in the race.
Leclerc more comfortable with the F1-75
Red Bull and Aston Martin at the top of the standings perfectly reflect the sensations gathered on the side of the track, where the AMR23 and RB19 were visually the most stable and effective when crossing curbs and in discharging the output power. Conversely, the Ferraris appeared to be very nervous, with lots of rear-end collisions which aggravated the problems by overheating the tyres. After a promising start, the Reds ran into trouble on Saturday, especially in terms of rebounds, which Leclerc defined as the main difference from the F1-75, which was a tenth faster on the same track. Not surprisingly, Charles professed to feel less comfortable with the SF-23 than he was with the 2022 car.
The porpoising affected all the cars but Ferrari in particular, forcing Leclerc to tackle the Piscine with partial throttle in the morning and enter blindly in the Tobacconist, having his vision obscured by tires and vibrations. However, the problem is not purely aerodynamic, as the Monegasque complained over the radio of bouncing even on the bumps in the slow corners. The gaps in the SF-23 cannot be filled purely with aerodynamic updates, but mechanical suspension adjustments will also be needed. In this regard, Hass brought a different internal arrangement of the front suspension to Monaco. The chances that the VF-23 has previewed the next Ferrari innovations are concrete.
Mercedes risky not paid off
The Brackley stable was confident after the tests, so much so that they dared to make a move on the set-up in the hope that this would have projected the W14s in front. However, the changes backfired on the team, but Toto Wolff sees the three-tenths delay as a solid result. The Austrian manager didn’t venture to say that without upheavals in the setup, Hamilton or Russell would have been on pole, but he didn’t hesitate to say that the updates didn’t compromise the result. On the contrary, the team perceived the machine as cohesive, albeit still with problems of instability at the rear. However, introducing the innovations in Monaco was important, more than for the performance, to collect data on the new package by putting it to the test on an extreme circuit, enriching the feedback that will arrive in Barcelona and Montreal.
Both Hamilton and Russell had to surrender to best Alpine of the year which, with the exception of Baku, is now from Melbourne who manages to enter the top teams in qualifying. The team has also introduced numerous updates in Monaco and only in Barcelona will they be able to really appreciate the benefits. The AlphaTauri was also excellent on Saturday, in Q3 with Tsunoda and twelfth with de Vries. The AT04 runs in Monaco with major updates to the back and diffuser. One might think that they are purely aerodynamic in nature, but if the innovations followed the philosophy of the Melbourne developments, they would allow the‘AlphaTauri to turn higher and softer, finding mechanical grip when slow. Lando Norris closes the top 10, penalized by an error at the harbor chicane, but who, like in Baku, confirms a decidedly more performing McLaren in low-speed corners than at high mileages.
The race
All attention now turns to the race, where contrary to what has been seen in the past Pirelli expects that the undercut may be the most effective move. It is probable that the first laps could be characterized by tire management, with a little train that will gradually loosen as the stop approaches. The hard tire is the only one with the potential to do the whole race. In the event of a Safety Car in the opening laps, Perez could take advantage of it, emulating what Fernando Alonso and Michael Schumacher did in the past.
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