Red Bull as favorite, Ferrari’s modifications, the Rosberg family on track: Thursday’s highlights in Monaco

Red Bull doesn’t fool around!

Did Toto Wolff have a point? His intuition at the start of the week turned out to be correct. After the two sessions on Thursday, Red Bull Racing tops the timesheets. And how! Already ahead in FP1, Daniel Ricciardo was at it again in FP2. “The Honey Badger” made excellent use of the new hyper-soft tires and aerodynamics as good as ever on the RB14, with incredible grip. The #3 is the first driver in history to go under 1:11 in Monaco. A great performance considering the following chart, which compares the best times on Thursday since the introduction of the V6 turbo hybrid engine in 2014.

*: winning driver at the end of the Grand Prix that year

Stable, Max Verstappen stayed within two-tenths both in the morning and afternoon. The advantage lies with his garage partner, poleman and almost winner in 2016. In any case, it’s the first time this year that the Red Bull team locks in the top two spots in the free practice sessions. Certainly an encouraging sign for the future, even though the Dutchman had a close call this Thursday afternoon!

The statement from Daniel Ricciardo, after FP2: I know we can go even faster!

What about Mercedes and Ferrari?

This could seem light. Currently, the leading figures are battling… for third place. Neither Lewis Hamilton nor Sebastian Vettel managed to make it into the top 2 today. Here, the consistency award goes to Lewis Hamilton, three-tenths in the morning and nearly seven in the afternoon. Sebastian Vettel was nine-tenths in the morning and close to six in the afternoon. But the Briton was looking grim at the end of FP2, very unhappy with the stability of his car on his last tire stint.

However, the German can be pleased about one thing. His race pace seems slightly superior to the competition. The German was indeed lapping this afternoon in 1:15.7, three-tenths faster on average than Hamilton or Bottas. Verstappen and Ricciardo are slightly behind (1:16.2) in this exercise, but the advantage taken in pure performance might save them. Fortunately for the Grays and Reds, the Friday off day is coming. An opportunity to look into the data and see where the problem lies!

And behind?

The atypical profile of Monaco is currently benefiting the Renault Sport F1 Team, which secured sixth place in the morning with Carlos Sainz and seventh with Nico Hülkenberg in the afternoon. At our microphone this Thursday morning, Cyril Abiteboul wanted to stabilize the good positions of his two drivers… goal temporarily achieved. On the other hand, the McLaren team made a comeback at the end of the second session, with Stoffel Vandoorne finishing the day seven hundredths behind Nico Hülkenberg. The two teams powered by Renault have the opportunity to distance the Haas F1 Team, which got a bit tangled up: Magnussen P16 and Grosjean P18 in FP2!

By the way, none of our French competitors made it into the top 10 during this session, as Ocon only secured the thirteenth time, just ahead of Pierre Gasly.

Multiple adjustments for Ferrari, in the FIA’s sights

Among the ten teams in the field, Scuderia Ferrari is certainly the most in demand by the FIA at the moment. Highly controversial, the mirrors installed on the halo in Spain (through a rod) disappeared in the Principality following a decision by the international body, which now bans such a system. For Charlie Whiting, the aerodynamic gain cannot be found on such a system. Return to a slightly more conventional system, judge for yourself.

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But that’s not all! The Italian team is also under scrutiny regarding the legality of its use of the electrical energy system (ERS). According to Mercedes and Red Bull, Scuderia Ferrari allegedly exceeded the permissible use of 120 kW of power on the MGU-K, thanks to a double battery and bypassing FIA checks. That being said, Toto Wolff and Christian Horner trust the referee. This was the essence of their statements made today during the team principals’ press conference.

The FIA is best positioned to answer this question. I trust the FIA to make a decision, » admitted Toto Wolff.

To complete everything, the Maranello team underwent a major change by returning to the old suspension. So, out goes the new system, which affected tire management in Barcelona. As a reminder, Sebastian Vettel had to pit a second time, while his opponents, led by Mercedes, only made one stop.

Unusual: The Rosbergs on track

Now a consultant for the English channel Sky Sports F1, Nico Rosberg treated himself to a small pleasure this Thursday. The 2016 world champion, a three-time winner in Monaco, reunited with his Mercedes for three laps on the Monaco circuit, accompanied by his father, Keke, who was also a champion in 1982. For the occasion, the Finnish national drove his Williams FW08, which had led him to triumph. This Saturday, around 11 a.m., Mika Hakkinen will also take a few celebratory laps, likely aboard his McLaren-Mercedes MP4/13, which led him to the title… 20 years ago!

what a very special honor. thank you @F1 for making this happen 🙏🏼 pic.twitter.com/CCDee9e0MA

— Nico Rosberg (@nico_rosberg) 24 mai /f1/actualite/22700-le-clan-mercedes-inquiet-pour-monaco-red-bull-en-favori.html

From our special correspondent in Monaco