Competitiveness and reliability for Red Bull, future uncertain for Hamilton and Alonso, F2: Friday’s newsletter in Monaco!

The Formula 1 paddock was very calm this Friday. Understandable, you might say: as is customary in Monaco, Formula 1 does not run at this point in the weekend. However, there are a few important elements to note from this “off” day.

The wake-up was admittedly a bit later, but all the drivers went through the debriefing stage. An important moment in this Monaco weekend, a pivotal time between Thursday’s free practice sessions and Saturday’s qualifying, more crucial here than at any other Grand Prix on the calendar. The rest of the day was dedicated to promotional activities and autograph sessions with fans in the pit lane.

Autograph session!!
Carlos is up first… 🖍️🖋️🖍️#RSspirit #MonacoGP pic.twitter.com/GZ745bM7OQ

— Renault Sport F1 (@RenaultSportF1) May 25

Red Bull can go even faster… before reliability gets involved?

Even after their big move on Thursday, the Austrian team wanted to calm things down. Questioned by TV journalists just after FP2, Max Verstappen stated that he didn’t drive to the limit while still being fast. “We didn’t encounter any problems with our settings. I had a good feeling in the car, with still room for improvement,” he added. These remarks echoed those already made by Daniel Ricciardo in our Thursday debrief article.

However, the Achilles’ heel of the Austrian team this weekend could be reliability on the engine side. Indeed, Max Verstappen’s engine is already entering its sixth Grand Prix of the season. Cyril Abiteboul fears in this regard that the Dutchman may not be able to reach the finish with this power unit. As a reminder, the general manager of the Renault Sport F1 Team wanted to discuss reliability for this Monaco weekend. In any case, drivers will have to wait for the Canadian Grand Prix to change elements on their power unit, avoiding a penalty.

In passing, Max Verstappen indeed avoided a penalty this weekend after his unexpected detour through the Sainte-Dévote escape route during FP2. The stewards judged that the presence of a double yellow flag was enough to secure the reverse of the driver marked with the number 33.

Wolff has still not announced a date for Hamilton’s contract extension

Invited this Thursday to the team principals’ press conference, Toto Wolff stated that the extension of Lewis Hamilton’s contract had not yet been finalized. There is no set date, to be honest, but no urgency for the Mercedes team principal as his protégé’s contract expires at the end of the season. A surprising observation: both parties wanted to settle the matter before the start of the championship in Australia.

« We are taken up by our daily work » explained the Austrian. « It shows in some way the mutual trust, no one puts pressure on the other. I see no reason why the extension wouldn’t happen. It’s a work in progress. »

But one thing is certain for the Mercedes boss, it won’t be Lewis Hamilton who will decide the timing of his contract signing. The situation is dragging on and Christian Horner has even added his two cents. Sitting next to Toto Wolff at the press conference, the Red Bull team principal admitted that Lewis Hamilton’s star « pace is the reason for the delay in signing. » A little bluffing never hurts…

Alonso will not consider his future in Formula 1 before the summer break

The double world champion is also stirring up rumors about his future. The latest? General manager of the driver, Flavio Briatore, reportedly had discussions with Ferrari in Barcelona about a potential return to the Scuderia next year! But Zak Brown told journalists today that things will be sorted out around this summer. “He will let you know what he wants very soon,” the executive director said, hoping to calm the situation.

In 24 hours, we thus move from a Hamilton-Vettel idea to an Alonso-Vettel hypothesis. As a reminder, the Spaniard spent 5 seasons at Ferrari, marked by eleven victories and two runner-up finishes in the world championship in 2010 and 2012. He currently has a contract with McLaren beyond /f1/actualite/22711-red-bull-en-favori-les-modifications-de-ferrari-la-famille-rosberg-en-piste-les-enseignements-du-jeudi-a-monaco-.html, but performance clauses allow him to leave the Woking team at the end of each season. On his part, Kimi Räikkönen has also expressed his willingness to continue beyond /f1/actualite/22711-red-bull-en-favori-les-modifications-de-ferrari-la-famille-rosberg-en-piste-les-enseignements-du-jeudi-a-monaco-.html, stating that only the pleasure of driving keeps him in Formula 1.

We still drove in Monaco

Formula 1 observed its peers on the legendary circuit. In Formula 2, Artem Markelov (Russian Time) won the main race, held on Friday noon. The race was marked by a surprising collision between Alexander Albon (DAMS) and Nyck de Vries (Prema), who were first and second at the time. The two drivers made contact at the entrance to the pit lane! We should also note the impressive comeback of Swiss driver Louis Delétraz from fifteenth to fourth place. The Charouz Racing driver shared his thoughts in an interview, which you can find on your favorite motorsport website!

In the overall standings, Lando Norris (DAMS) still leads the way with 88 points, 17 more than Alexander Albon.

While waiting for tomorrow’s Qualifying session, scheduled for 3 PM, the party will be in full swing tonight, right on the track of the Principality. Terraces and bars are directly set up on the tarmac where the drivers will perform.

And until the start of free practice sessions tomorrow at 11 a.m., enjoy a little thrill with the onboard camera of the lap record set by Daniel Ricciardo. Never had a Formula 1 gone so fast through the streets of Monaco!

And don’t hesitate to vote -and debate- on your favorite for the pole position!

From our special correspondent in Monaco