5 Talking Points Ahead Of Monaco Grand Prix

 

As the second double-header of the season concludes this weekend, Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen get set to resume their World Championship fight at the 2022 Monaco Grand Prix. Here are 5 talking points ahead of Monaco Grand Prix.

• A Three-Team Fight For Pole Position

Despite having taken four pole positions so far this season, Leclerc will face a tricky assignment this weekend. Ferrari and Red Bull have traded the fastest vehicle at various places, and now there is a new threat in the mix.

Mercedes has finally taken the step forward they have been threatening for a long time, with George Russell qualifying fourth and finishing third in Spain. 

At the same time, Lewis Hamilton was the fastest driver over the entire distance from the end of lap two until he ran into reliability issues late in the race after being demoted to the back by a first-lap puncture. 

The pace was impressive, but Russell predicted that Mercedes would be even better in Monaco, where the lack of high speeds should mean teams will have less trouble with porpoising than at other places. 

However, Mercedes appears to have made significant improvements in this area, allowing the car to go much faster. All of this suggests that three teams will arrive in Monaco believing they have a chance to compete for pole position.

• A  spectacular qualifying session

A driver has to have supreme confidence in their car on the tight and twisty Monaco circuit, where acceptable margins make a difference. There are few sights in Formula 1 as exciting as a car on the absolute limit at its fastest and lightest during a qualifying run around Monaco, flirting with the barriers in the search for an extra thousandth of a second.

But that works both ways because the slightest error can prove disastrous. A mistake tends to end up in the wall, and a lowly qualifying spot usually means little chance to move forward in the race and can prove terminal for a driver’s hopes over the weekend. 

No qualifying session matters more than Monaco, and it will be fantastic to watch!

• The Risk Of Rain

All the races are spiced up by rain, but in Monaco, the rain can transform an often-processional race into a much more open affair than would be possible under normal conditions. What’s more, the weather forecast is saying that it might rain this weekend.

The last wet race was in 2016 and saw Daniel Ricciardo missed out on victory after dominating the race due to a slow pit stop. Still, perhaps the most memorable races in Monaco also have rain to thank for playing a significant role—like when Olivier Panis won from 14th on the grid as one of only three cars to see the finish in 1996.

Mclaren’s Alain Prost held off Ayrton Senna – who was racing in his first Monaco Grand Prix in 1984’s shortened race back in 1984. It’s still early days, of course, but there is a threat of at least a shower on Sunday and earlier in the weekend that could impact a track running.

It has been changing rapidly, and the risk could dissipate between now and the race weekend, but then the uncertainty is part of the fun, right?

• New Regulation Cars On The Street

The new regulations have allowed for closer racing, although a few aspects require even more adaptation from the drivers. Among them are the low-speed cars, as they are heavier than their predecessors and generate their downforce differently.

This means they are tougher to handle through slower sections, which is essentially all of Monaco is comprised of. After getting used to the driving styles required for the new cars on numerous different circuits, Monaco will require an additional adjustment from the drivers to get the most lap time out of their new machines.

This year, the wheel covers have reduced tires’ visibility at specific points throughout the lap. It will be more challenging for drivers to get around Monaco – usually defined by barriers – without hitting any curbs. If Monaco weren’t challenging enough in the past, it would undoubtedly be more testing this year.

• Charles Leclerc’s Home Badluck

Sometimes, a driver clicks with one circuit, but it doesn’t work out for others. But it becomes much more poignant when you’re from the same place as the circuit.

Charles Leclerc is Monaco’s most successful Formula 1 driver, but despite his early years taking the bus to school along the roads used for the track, he has yet to finish a race at home. That’s a run that started with his debut at Alfa Romeo in 2018.

Still, his bad luck at the event goes even further than that, as he was forced to retire after starting from pole position in Formula 2 the year before, beginning the Sprint Race at the back and failing to make much progress.

As if that wasn’t enough, Leclerc suffered a brake failure when demonstrating one of Niki Lauda’s classic Ferrari’s earlier this month, causing him to crash at Rascasse.