Charles Leclerc and Ferrari ended Friday on high at System 1’s 2024 Monaco Grand Prix – the house hero in command in FP2, whereas Pink Bull’s Max Verstappen had one other low-key Friday.
The FP2 long-run averages recommend the world champion and his staff have a transparent edge, but this can rely for little or no if they can’t type a greater set-up forward of qualifying. Thus far, for that essential Monaco session, Leclerc is predicted to dominate.
Including to the combination on Friday was Mercedes and Aston Martin beginning this occasion strongly with Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso. McLaren, in the meantime, is basically but to point out its hand even over one lap after finishing completely different run plans to many of the relaxation.
The story of the day
First follow at Monaco, as ever, was about constructing driver confidence, with the occasions falling round six seconds from preliminary benchmarks to 1m12.169s by the tip of the primary one-hour session.
That was set by Mercedes driver Hamilton, the Silver and Black Arrows squad benefitting from not having to compromise its set-up for low- and high-speed corners right here as Monaco lacks any of the latter.
Leclerc then headed the occasions just about all through FP2 – his tempo on the mediums early on practically a second faster than the remainder. However when the tender tyres went on for the qualifying simulation runs, not solely did he go faster however Verstappen couldn’t sneak forward of Leclerc’s harder-compound earlier private greatest.
Hamilton ended Friday as Leclerc’s nearest challenger, as Mercedes appeared suited to the low-speed Monaco structure
Photograph by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
Each drivers then had sophisticated later makes an attempt on the softs, with Leclerc having two oversteer moments on the hairpin and Portier – abandoning his lap after the second when he had simply set FP2’s quickest time within the first sector.
Verstappen, in the meantime, had a couple of minutes earlier thwacked the barrier on the earlier nook – Flip 7 beneath Mirabeau – along with his left-rear and needed to pit to get issues checked over.
He reappeared quickly sufficient to hitch the long-run knowledge gathering that sometimes ends FP2, albeit for a a lot shorter interval at Monaco as in a dry Sunday occasion right here – as is forecast – race tempo issues a lot much less given the overtaking problem at this very slender venue. Come the session’s finish, the highest two drivers within the championship had been break up by Hamilton and Alonso.
When evaluating their quickest laps, Verstappen ships a tenth to Leclerc within the Loews hairpin alone
Hamilton’s greatest time got here on used softs in comparison with Leclerc forward, as Mercedes (and McLaren) ran the identical set of softs they’d used for qualifying simulations in FP1 as a consequence of a predicted rain risk for the second session that by no means got here.
Resting in opposition to this how Leclerc’s FP2-leading time got here practically 10 minutes earlier than Hamilton’s, which suggests he truly missed out on as much as 0.4s of monitor evolution. This shall be one other main Monaco theme to look at in qualifying.
What the info tells us
By way of engine modes, the GPS knowledge from the quickest 4 automobiles exhibits Verstappen because the outlier – his straightline pace notably down in all of the acceleration zones round this brief monitor.
On the energy peak on the exit of the tunnel and the run all the way down to the Nouvelle chicane under, Verstappen’s high pace is 172.7mph. This compares with 176.5mph for Leclerc, 177.7mph for Hamilton and 178.3mph for Alonso.
For a second Friday in succession, Pink Bull is on the backfoot, however a turnaround is likely to be trickier to realize at Monaco in comparison with Imola
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This can be a typical Pink Bull tactic for Friday follow. Good points on engine modes being turned as much as full whack for qualifying – which may even be the case for the remainder however more likely to a lesser extent elsewhere – are to be anticipated for Verstappen’s squad.
The GPS traces additionally present Ferrari gaining on Pink Bull by the low-speed turns the RB20 and its predecessors have detested. When evaluating their quickest laps, Verstappen ships a tenth to Leclerc within the Loews hairpin alone.
Once more, the next engine mode will compensate this considerably tomorrow. However Autosport noticed right here in FP1 that every time by, Verstappen and team-mate Sergio Perez had been simply having to delay an age to get on the throttle as they waited for his or her noses to swing by the very tight left-hander.
That is backed up within the GPS knowledge, whereas we additionally noticed simply how easily Leclerc was capable of rotate his SF-24 by the entire sequence all through FP1. The Pink Bulls had been simply much less silky, plus oscillating extra over the bump on the method to the hairpin’s apex.
In FP2, each Pink Bull drivers complained about their experience high quality. This centres on their low experience heights, with Perez’s RB20 a specific handful when turning for Massenet on the high of the hill within the first sector the place he whacked the within obstacles within the early levels. Verstappen, in the meantime, was struggling extra with a set-up that meant he couldn’t “drive higher over the kerbs”, per Pink Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko.
Concentrating on Pink Bull and Ferrari, which given how at this time has performed out should be thought of the favourites for pole (with the caveat a McLaren rise is predicted and drivers from different squads can spring a shock on this distinctive structure), and issues do look significantly better for Verstappen and co.
It is because Perez’s long term common over 10 laps on the mediums got here in at 1m15.920s, in comparison with Ferrari’s greatest by way of Carlos Sainz at 1m15.377s over 11 laps. Sainz appeared much less snug general in comparison with Leclerc on Friday.
Pink Bull’s long-run tempo was superior to its rivals, but it surely will not be capable of exploit it if its drivers qualify down the order
Photograph by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images
Verstappen ran the hards by the late lengthy runs, whereas Leclerc’s common was extra constant than Sainz’s however a lot slower at 1m16.599s, with the Spaniard’s common calculation boosted by having 5 outliers eliminated. These needed to come out as a result of main site visitors issue right here, which as ever means the long-run knowledge is an outlier in itself in comparison with the opposite races.
Certainly, one paddock insider identified on Friday night that FP2 tempo can truly be faster than race tempo at Monaco in lots of cases, as drivers will usually flow into to a slower pace to guard advantageous positions.
Entrance tyre graining was an issue for a lot of automobiles in FP2. Preserving that below management shall be a big issue for achievement on Sunday, however Saturday superiority will inevitably trump all.
Can Leclerc convert a robust Friday into an equally spectacular weekend this time round?
Photograph by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images