The values on track are starting to be understood
The first trends of the Monaco weekend are beginning to emerge and, at least for now, the technical picture seems quite clear: Ferrari emerges from the first day as the car to beat. The SF26 arrived in the Principality with an extremely effective mechanical setup, perfectly consistent with what is needed between the walls: great stability under braking, excellent ability to absorb curbs, very high mechanical grip, and aerodynamic downforce that also emerges at low speeds. In other words, exactly the kind of package that can make a difference in Monaco. The red car immediately seemed at ease in the tight sections, with a precise car, composed both in the narrow parts and over the curbs (a great improvement also compared to the first free practice sessions) and, above all, capable of giving confidence to the drivers in the most delicate phases of the lap. And in Monte Carlo, confidence is almost as valuable as aerodynamic downforce: if the driver can push to within a few millimeters of the wall, if they can brake a few meters later without fear of losing the rear, if they can anticipate getting back on the throttle without having to correct oversteer, the stopwatch immediately rewards them. From this point of view, Ferrari’s Friday was probably the best possible.
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Hamilton in great form
The first news, however, is the level of Lewis Hamilton. Not that seeing the seven-time world champion competitive in Monaco is an absolute surprise, but the way he took center stage is certainly significant. Hamilton immediately seemed to be in the thick of the weekend, aggressive but with the right moderation, eager to take some small risks already on Friday and, above all, to find performance in the slower parts of the track, which are crucial for the stopwatch at the end of the lap. The car seems to do exactly what Lewis asks of it, and this is immediately reflected in the performance. The Briton built much of his advantage in the slower technical sections: Loews, the harbor chicane, the second part of the Swimming Pool, and Rascasse. In these points, Hamilton appeared particularly incisive, with an excellent ability to rotate the car at very low speeds, then being able to rely on a solid rear end on exit. Leclerc, in turn, pushed and confirmed the goodness of the Ferrari package, but it doesn’t seem he will have an easy time against his teammate this year. The home driver, however, found performance mainly in different areas of the lap compared to Hamilton: the second part of Portier, Tabac, the first part of the Swimming Pool, and Noghes, all sections with a slightly higher cornering speed, confirming a trend that initially emerged in the first free practice sessions.
Will it be a red challenge?
The internal duel, therefore, promises a lot. Ferrari has two in-form drivers and a car that seems to adapt splendidly to this type of circuit. But…it’s only Friday. The track will evolve significantly, and the good start probably guarantees slightly smaller margins compared to opponents who will try to get much closer. It remains to be noted that the basic mechanical setup of the SF26 out of the factory appears excellent, confirming Maranello’s tradition of always having special mechanical know-how on this track, but obviously, the road for the men of the Prancing Horse is still very long, and the recovery of the opponents is just around the corner.
Verstappen already a breath away, already keeping the red team awake
To confirm that the laurels for Maranello are not yet a given, one only needs to look at Max Verstappen’s performance. The Dutchman is very close to Leclerc, with data showing a recovery by the Monegasque in the very last meters, otherwise Max would have already secured a virtual second row, and he has already shown a significantly better feeling compared to the first session. The Red Bull certainly doesn’t seem perfect yet, especially on the mechanical side, with a few too many difficulties at Loews and in the first part of the Swimming Pool, but the direction taken by the team to solve the problems initially seen seems correct. Verstappen, as always, manages to mask some of the car’s limitations and bring it into a competitive window even when the package doesn’t appear dominant. In qualifying, he could be a very tough opponent for Hamilton and Leclerc.
Read more Ferrari dreams, but the tires and Verstappen are pitfalls
McLaren disappoints, Mercedes currently busy with internal challenge
The third indication concerns McLaren, which is decidedly subdued for now. On one hand, there’s the worrying reliability issue suffered by Norris, and on the other, a performance that continues to struggle precisely in the slow sections, confirming what had already emerged in the first free practice sessions and pre-race analyses. The Woking car remains very reactive in changes of direction, a quality that should theoretically be helpful in Monaco, but when the slow corner lengthens and it’s necessary to combine rotation and mechanical grip, the stopwatch starts to suffer significantly, and in the slowest sections with very long corners like Loews, it becomes a very heavy limitation. We will see if Stella’s team can find the right direction for qualifying or if they will remain cut off from the positions that matter.
Behind Ferrari and Verstappen, there is a Mercedes with a partially recovering Russell immediately ahead of Antonelli. A real battle is expected between the two in qualifying, also because the margin seems thin and the performance of the W17 does not appear very easy to maximize on this track. The Brackley car suffers mainly from a certain weakness at the front: the work done on the rear to obtain a lot of traction to exploit with the electric torque seems to have made the car a bit “lazy” at the front, and in the most tortuous sections, it becomes complicated for the drivers to turn the single-seater. Even under braking, when the front axle is loaded, the response is not yet optimal, and this weighs heavily on the stopwatch, with Russell, for example, losing two and a half tenths between Mirabeau and Loews and two tenths at Rascasse-Anthony Noghes. The impression is also that the internal challenge is very much alive, almost to leave this race to the competition if too far behind, but without being able to relax given the world championship race between Antonelli and his English teammate.
Tomorrow it gets serious
Interesting, however, was Audi’s Friday, which appeared tidy and competitive within its group, while Aston Martin was a negative surprise, disastrous despite announcements of a good chassis at the start of the season. For now, the picture shows Ferrari, with both Hamilton and Leclerc fully in the game, but with Verstappen capable of disturbing the red team’s sleep. But Monaco will only truly start to matter tomorrow, when the margin for error will be zero and every millimeter between car and wall will be worth a grid position.
Read more Ferrari flies, Leclerc less so: “Complicated day, braking balance needs improvement”
