Welcome to the 2024 F1 Monaco weekend. Mercedes lead the grid with Hamilton in P1 and Russell in P3. McLaren’s Piastri and Norris sit in P2 and P4 respectively while Monegasque Leclerc finished the session in p5.
[adrotate banner=”5″]
Get 10% off all official F1 Merch at TheRaceWorks.com using code ‘EF1‘ at checkout.
The first practice session of the weekend saw drivers queue at the pit lane, eager for space on the Monte Carlo circuit.
McLaren warned Oscar Piastri about light rain expected towards the end of the session, and several teams followed suit. More rain is forecast for this afternoon’s FP2.
Hamilton experienced a small lock-up entering the Nouvelle chicane, bailed out of the corner, and skipped across it. Haas faced similar issues; Hulkenberg locked up at Sainte Devote, while Magnussen requested a new seat.
Max Verstappen topped the timesheets into the 1:13s, going 0.036s clear with a 1:13.974.
Problems for Alpine
Alpine encountered problems when Gasly was called into the pits with power unit issues. Though he returned to the track briefly, the Frenchman completed only an out-lap before heading back to the pits.
Gasly’s car underwent a panel removal to investigate a potential PU problem, putting him out of FP1. This was not ideal with rain on the way and FP2 expected to be wet.
The team stated, “The team has boxed Car 10 in order to investigate and rectify a wastegate issue on the car. It is likely Pierre will not be back out on track during FP1.”
Hometown Hero
Leclerc, on the Hard compound, went top by almost six-tenths of a second, moments after Norris briefly held the fastest time. Carlos Sainz made it a Ferrari one-two, showing the team’s strength.
Track conditions improved as Leclerc led with a 1:13.162, Sainz trailing behind by 0.362s.
After initial Hard tyre runs, more drivers switched to the Medium compound for suspected long runs.
Verstappen expressed frustration, following his struggles in Imola, stating. “The car is on a knife-edge.” The Dutchman had already brushed several barriers.
Top 10 after 30 minutes: Leclerc, Hamilton, Verstappen, Sainz, Tsunoda, Russell, Perez, Norris, Magnussen, and Hulkenberg. Hamilton went second after setting a positive lap, just 0.165s slower than Leclerc’s.
Final 30 Minutes
Sargeant hit the wall hard at Massenet but luckily escaped without major damage. Mere minutes later, several drivers switched to the Soft tyre to chase faster lap times.
Russell went fastest with a 1:12.295, with Piastri close behind in second. Both drivers were on the soft compound. Piastri then set the fastest lap, going almost one-tenth clear of Russell, who was now followed by Hamilton with the third quickest time.
Tsunoda, contemplating his future seat, went fourth fastest. This is shaping up to be quite a season for the RB driver.
Mercedes showed promising pace this weekend after upgrades. Hamilton set the fastest time with a 1:12.169, and Russell secured third.
Red Flag
Zhou caused the first red flag of the weekend by hitting the barrier at Sainte Devote. His front-wring damage scattered debris across the circuit, which Leclerc then hit. The red flag appeared with 12 minutes remaining in the session.
Here Comes the Rain
The session resumed with nine minutes remaining, just as the first raindrops fell.
Leclerc, on the medium compound, held fifth place and trailed the leading pace by just two-tenths, surrounded by drivers on the softest tyres. This looks to be a promising weekend for Ferrari.
It is not the start Red Bull wanted this 2024 F1 Monaco weekend, however. After Verstappen’s complaints, Perez headed to the garage due to a left-rear puncture. He sat in P12 on the hard compound with a 1:13.229.
Final Few Minutes
Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll, on a fresh set of Soft tyres, set out to make his mark. Elsewhere, Verstappen complained about his car moving around over bumps. The Austrian team are not a fan of Fridays, are they?
The chequered flag came out with Hamilton fastest with a 1:12.169. Piastri held P2 with 1:12.198, and Russell sits in P3 with 1:12.295. All three were on the Soft compound.
Have Mercedes done enough to compete with Red Bull, McLaren, and Ferrari during the 2024 F1 Monaco weekend?
[adrotate banner=”3″]
Get 10% off all official F1 Merch at TheRaceWorks.com using code ‘EF1‘ at checkout.
Featured Image Photo by Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team @MercedesAMGF1// X.com