At the start of the season, concluding the report of Friday’s sessions by telling of a Verstappen at the top of the timesheets almost seems like a story that doesn’t make the news, yet the first day of action on the track in Monte Carlo left as many doubts as the curiosity to see the cars back on track for qualifying.
Although the Monaco Grand Prix may represent the best chance of this championship for Ferrari or Aston Martin to beat Red Bull, the first free practice confirmed that it will not be an easy challenge. However, the weekend starts auspiciously from the point of view of entertainment, with three single-seaters ready to play their chances to end Saturday in pole position.
Although the narrow streets of the Principality don’t actually represent the best testing ground for the qualities of the RB19, which tends to excel in medium and high speed corners, the Milton Keynes team finished the first day in front of everyone.
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB19
Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Motorsport Images
Red Bull: you need something more in terms of agility and on the curbs
In any case, it was a more complicated and longer Friday than usual for Red Bull, above all because the set-up tested on the simulator with which Max Verstappen had started free practice did not prove to be the right one to face the challenges of the Monegasque track. On several occasions the two-time world champion had remarked on the difficulties in dealing with the curbs and the roughness of the asphalt, as well as a certain tendency to understeer in the fastest sections of the track.
A mechanical setting that plays a crucial role in the Principality, so much so that there were teams like Alfa Romeo who decided to tackle the first session without aerodynamic updates in order to first find a basis on which to work for the rest of the weekend . Small changes were not enough to solve the problems reported by Verstappen, with the mechanics intervening in a more profound way between the two sessions, giving some oxygen and greater confidence at the wheel.
The Red Bull driver made no secret of the fact that a step forward in terms of handling is still needed to beat the Prancing Horse on a flying lap, especially as regards agility when changing direction and being able to attack the curbs. An aspect that was particularly evident at the Nouvelle Chicane, one of the slowest sections of the track where speed entering and traveling counts, as well as at the Piscine chicane, where on Friday there was a certain intolerance in exploiting the exit curb. And it is precisely on this aspect that the Milton Keynes team seeks stability.
Comparison Leclerc-Verstappen Practice Monaco
Photo by: Gianluca D’Alessandro
If in the first session Verstappen had struggled with understeer in the “wider” and more flowing corners like Massenet and the Tobacconist, after the changes made between FP1 and FP2 the situation improved considerably, so much so that the Milton Keynes team standard bearer well figured in the climb towards the Casino, also maintaining a slightly narrower trajectory than the main rivals. It should be noted, however, that on several occasions the Hasselt driver himself indicated that the tires were not ready for turn one, an issue that will be important to keep in mind on Saturday.
Ferrari: a known base for dreaming
On the other hand there are the high hopes tinged with Red, who have often made qualifying and flying lap skills a strong point. Net of Sainz’s small mistake at the pools, which can happen when he runs a few centimeters from the walls still trying to take the ideal measurements, both engineers and drivers were satisfied with the behavior of the single-seater.
There was great expectation for this weekend, given that in the last rounds there was a certain tendency for the SF-23 to perform well in the slow sections, especially after the set-up changes made from the Australian GP onwards. By opting for a softer approach to the suspension, the Maranello car had rediscovered its brilliance in traction and in slow areas and, on a track that makes these two aspects its key characteristics, expectations were legitimate.
Carlos Sainz, Ferrari SF-23, Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-23
Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images
For now, the Italian single-seater has proved to be at ease on the narrow streets of the Principality, especially in slow-moving areas and on the curbs. An example is the Piscine area, where Leclerc opts for a slightly different interpretation by sacrificing the first part of the chicane to be more incisive at the exit. This was also seen at Santa Devota, where the Monegasque generally opts for a more aggressive approach on the internal curb, thus managing to gain something on the way out: last year the Ferrarista had already been able to make the difference on that section, above all in the second phase of the curve and, for now, he has reconfirmed this season as well.
Equally positive is the harbor chicane, especially in the first part, that of entering and driving, even leaving the accelerator behind compared to your opponents. In the internal comparison, Sainz showed good confidence in the car, especially in the stretch from the hairpin to the tunnel entrance, where he was also able to beat Alonso.
From a chronometric point of view, there is undoubtedly something still to be extracted, partly due to the small mistake in La Rascasse where he finished slightly long having to correct, partly because in Monaco the drivers kept those last decisive tenths in their pocket until qualifying .
Comparison Leclerc-Alonso Free Monaco
Photo by: Gianluca D’Alessandro
Aston Martin is the odd man out
In Monte Carlo, as we know, it’s a matter of trust. A feeling that Fernando Alonso certainly doesn’t lack, both in the car and in Aston Martin’s ability to aim for the big shot on the day. The first day of free practice perhaps told of a struggle above all between Red Bull and Ferrari, with the British team playing the outsider role.
The crucial aspect that the Spaniard recounted is that the car probably proved to be very easy to drive, an element that plays its part on the narrow streets of the Principality. Overall, for now the AMR23 has behaved well in the medium-speed corners, especially in the insertion and mileage of the Massenet: there is probably still something to be extracted in turn one, but in the first split the Silverstone car confirmed its competitive.
The interesting aspect is that the single-seater cared for by Dan Fallows and his technical group also performed well in the hairpin area up to the tunnel, however lacking a little bit in the traction phase in the last sector, especially in the last two corners. Looking also at the telemetric data, it can be seen that in those areas Alonso generally tends to delay returning to the accelerator, without then reaching peaks comparable to the Ferraristi: it will be interesting to understand if the Spaniard has kept something in his pocket to play for tomorrow.
After a first part of the championship dominated by Red Bull, the novelty that emerged in the Principality at the end of the first day is that making predictions will finally not be a simple exercise, in a fight where everyone believes they can win the most coveted prize.
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