2024 Monaco Grand Prix - Monte Carlo, May 24 - 26

[SKYnRacing24]

Im not counting out Max at all lool you lot forgot about last weekend already ?

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Im not counting out Max at all lool you lot forgot about last weekend already ?

Last weekend RB could take off RW and nick pole with a slipstream. This weekend is bumpy - their arch nemesis

[bananapeel23]

Leclerc looks like a lock for pole, the Ferrari just does everything he wants in the slow speed, the ride is the best on the grid. Merc look positive. RB again struggling with set-up, car looks too stiff. McLaren missing something too.

The Ferrari looks to be everything I said it would be, despite being told by veterans of the forum that they would suck and that their ride quality is much worse than McLaren and Red Bull. Amazing ride, handles bumps and kerbs well, good where you would expect it to be and the ride quality seems to make the drivers (only Leclerc, really) comfortable with attacking corners more than the others.

Red Bull seems to have a severe bouncing problem as expected and McLaren is a bit of a mystery, but seems better than Red Bull and worse than Ferrari.

I know we shouldn't look at the outright laptimes in Free Practice, but even going by the ride quality and driver confidence, the Ferrari seems to be in a league of its own. Leclerc is really leaning on the car in a way no one else has dared to, all without hitting the wall and while running a slightly damaged floor.

I'm expecting a comfortable Leclerc pole unless Red Bull manages to solve the bouncing or if we get rain in quali.

[ringo]

The effects of no Newey to connect the dots. They need to learn to solve problems without him.
But Max has shown flashes of potential. The first sector is very strong for him.
Ferrari though in a sweet spot with the front end and the ride.
I suspect Mercedes engine has the best drivability and that is giving Merc, Aston and Mclaren a little edge.

[sport777]

Hamilton's C5 tires already had 7 laps completed from the first practice, so quite a decent time, Leclerc was on a fresh C5

[Luscion]

[bananapeel23]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GOW44tAWYAA ... =4096x4096

Look at how much more speed Leclerc carries through the swimming pool chicane It's like 20 km/h.

There is even a small throttle blip mid-corner, meaning there was definitely room to go faster.

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Leclerc's aggregated best sector times would put him almost half a second in front. Not quite what you usually see in Monaco

[sport777]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GOW44tAWYAA ... =4096x4096

Look at how much more speed Leclerc carries through the swimming pool chicane It's like 20 km/h.

There is even a small throttle blip mid-corner, meaning there was definitely room to go faster.

Hamilton has 12 laps on his tires, that's a lot isn't it?

[bananapeel23]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GOW44tAWYAA ... =4096x4096

Look at how much more speed Leclerc carries through the swimming pool chicane It's like 20 km/h.

There is even a small throttle blip mid-corner, meaning there was definitely room to go faster.

Hamilton has 12 laps on his tires, that's a lot isn't it?

Definitely, but only a small minority of those 12 laps were push laps and Leclerc kept setting purple sectors on his later aborted push laps, so there was likely a lot left in the tank for him.

[sport777]

Look at how much more speed Leclerc carries through the swimming pool chicane It's like 20 km/h.

There is even a small throttle blip mid-corner, meaning there was definitely room to go faster.

Hamilton has 12 laps on his tires, that's a lot isn't it?

Definitely, but only a small minority of those 12 laps were push laps and Leclerc kept setting purple sectors on his later aborted push laps, so there was likely a lot left in the tank for him.

I mean, if he was fresh like Leclerc, he was clearly closer

[bananapeel23]

Hamilton has 12 laps on his tires, that's a lot isn't it?

Definitely, but only a small minority of those 12 laps were push laps and Leclerc kept setting purple sectors on his later aborted push laps, so there was likely a lot left in the tank for him.

I mean, if he was fresh like Leclerc, he was clearly closer

Absolutely, but I doubt the Mercedes is really in the fight for pole.

[JordanMugen]

The effects of no Newey to connect the dots. They need to learn to solve problems without him.

Newey is there in the Red Bull garage.

Unsure of the benefit of him being there if, as claimed above, he has no setup input?!

[Xyz22]

The effects of no Newey to connect the dots. They need to learn to solve problems without him.

Newey is there in the Red Bull garage.

Unsure of the benefit of him being there if, as claimed above, he has no setup input?!

No.
He is not participating in any engineering meeting.

Think quali is going to be very close.

[Hammerfist]

If RBR puts it on pole here then the rest of the field might as well go home. They look even more further back than then did during the first day at Imola. The car is bouncing guys. Not good.
Mercedes I think it's the first time they are running a real high downforce package this year, with that updated rear wing so I'm not too surprised they are fast when efficiency can be thrown out the window. Hamilton did that time without having to kiss the walls at all so that car has a lot more potential but it might take an in form Russell to find the limits. .
Still have to love Leclerc for pole.
The Mclarens look suspiciously off the pace. that might change tomorrow.