Ferrari’s core strength was identified after an unexpected pace on Friday at the F1 Monaco Grand Prix.
Charles Leclerc was the fastest in both practice sessions in his home round. I won there for the first time a year ago.
Lewis Hamilton continued his Ferrari optimism on Friday afternoon after last weekend’s home race Imola, and finally discovered some performances on Sunday.
The already unique challenge of the tight, twisted Monaco circuit will have a layer of complexity on Sunday with a new forced two-stop rule.
However, the Ferrari was properly placed after Friday, and the Jenson Button found the key to the speed of the SF-25.
“Even their drivers said they wouldn’t be quick today,” Button told Sky Sports.
“If you look at the traces of speed and their fast sectors, they may be making more power than others today.
“But still. The car looks like it’s on track. They can get the front tires to work, which is a big deal.
“I heard from James Bowles of Williams that a lot of teams have struggled with gripping front tires and are making it work.
“Ferrari can. So it has a really good front end, and you need it around the street circuit.
“That’s where they’re strong right now.”
Saturday’s qualifying sessions have traditionally been a weakness for Hamilton, particularly for him, but go back two years back to his last Mercedes days.
But in Monaco he arrives at his most important qualifying session, filled with competitive cars.
Lewis Hamilton
Oscar Piastri supported despite the F1 Monaco Grand Prix crash
Formula 1 ranking leader McLaren’s Oscar Piastri split Ferraris as the second fastest on Friday.
It was a rare error despite crashing on FP2 in the afternoon.
“That little moment can happen,” analyzed Naomissif of Sky Sports.
“It was a simple mistake, a bit of a lockup, and you end up at the wall.
“It really didn’t cost them time-wise, they came in and with a new front wing, he came straight back.
“He’s clearly confident in the car, and that’s what you need around here. When you stick your car, you need the confidence that it will continue to do with what you’re doing.”
Red Bull drivers Max Verstappen and Yuki tsunoda were ranked 10th and 11th respectively.
“It wasn’t a great day for Racebull, who is on the way,” Button said. Sister teams Liam Lawson and Isaac Hajar said they finished fifth and sixth, respectively.
“(Red Bull) seems to be struggling.
“When I see him drive, it looks like there are a lot of understeer in that car. One thing Max doesn’t like about Formula 1 cars is the understeer.”
