Monaco GP: Post-Practice comments from Leclerc and Sainz

After a strong show in Spanish GP, Ferrari were expected to be much closure to front runners Mercedes and Red Bull in a tidy Monaco GP, where engine power doesn’t make big difference.

Thursday Free Practice times gave us glimpse of what we can expect from the famous Italian team on Saturday and Sunday. The Scuderia Ferrari Mission Winnow drivers, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, topped the time sheet at the end of the second free practice session.

The first session definitely did not get off to the best of starts for local boy Charles Leclerc, who after just four laps had to pit with a gearbox problem. However, Carlos got through his planned programme, completing 32 laps, all of them on the Pirelli Medium tyres. His best time of 1:12.606 was good enough for P2 on the time sheet. 

In the afternoon, the team ran different programmes with each driver. On his first run, Sainz used the Hard tyres, while Leclerc, back on track having had his gearbox changed, used the set of Mediums he had been unable to try in the morning. Both men then switched to the Softs for the qualifying simulation, setting their best times: 1:11.684 for Charles and total of 30 laps, which is good enough for P1.

Sainz set his fast lap time of 1:11.796 of 32 total laps, which is good enough for P2.

Ferrari 1 & 2 A good sign for the rest of the weekend, although it must be judged with the usual caution, especially as the two teams at the top of the championship standings did not show their full potential today.

Charles Leclerc:

“It was quite a surprise to have the day end so well, after we had a difficult start this morning. It’s important to do as many laps as possible, especially here in Monaco, and with the issue we had in FP1 I only completed 4 laps. In FP2, I felt at ease with the car and we may even have a bit of margin there to improve. But we shouldn’t get too carried away, because I am convinced that our competitors have more in hand. We have a day of work ahead of us tomorrow, and we will only know where we really stand on Saturday.”

Carlos Sainz :

“It has been a very positive first day for the team here in Monaco, but we know it is only practice. Things can change a lot from Thursday to Saturday at this track, so we will stay focused. Despite being quite happy with the car, we’ll keep working hard over the next two days to understand where we can improve. I really missed driving around these streets. I enjoyed myself in both sessions, pushing the car little by little to try to find the limit. Lets’ fine-tune everything to put together a strong Saturday!”