The Burning Questions
Will Mercedes or Red Bull be on top around the twists of the Circuit de Monaco?
Can Max Verstappen make up for the many laps he spent stuck behind Lewis Hamilton in 2019?
Will any teams surprise with their performance at this unique track?
Who will have the best unique helmet design?
The Track
The Stats
- Track Length: 3.337 km
- Laps: 78
- Race Distance: 260.286 km
- Maximum Speed: 291 km/h
- Lap Time at Full Throttle: 45%
- First Grand Prix: 1950
- Race Lap Record: Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 2018 | 1:14.260
- Outright Lap Record: Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 2019 | 1:10.166
- Most Driver Wins: Ayrton Senna | 1987, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993
- Most Constructor Wins: McLaren | 1984, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2005, 2007, 2008
The Weather
The Quotes
Lewis Hamilton | “I think I have done well to avoid all the incidents. But we have 19 more [races] and we could connect. He feels he perhaps has a lot to prove. I’m not in the same boat.”
Max Verstappen | “I have nothing to prove and avoiding contact goes both ways. So we have done well. We race hard, we avoided the contact both sides. Let’s hope we can keep doing that and keep racing hard against each other.”
Zak Brown | “I’m delighted with the extension of our agreement with Lando for 2022 and beyond. He’s been instrumental in our return of form here at McLaren and we’re proud of the growth he’s shown since he first started with us back in 2017.”
Sebastian Vettel | “No advice! Obviously I didn’t succeed, Lewis beat me, so it’s better not to give [Verstappen] any advice! I guess he wants to succeed. It’s a long year, there are a lot of races so, I don’t know, it doesn’t work like this. I’m not giving him any advice.”
The Thursday Form
Practice 2 Top 5
1 | Charles Leclerc | 1:11.684 | 30 Laps
2 | Carlos Sainz | 1:11.796 | 32 Laps
3 | Lewis Hamilton | 1:12.074 | 28 Laps
4 | Max Verstappen | 1:12.081 | 27 Laps
5 | Valtteri Bottas | 1:12.107 | 32 Laps
Practice 1 Top 5
1 | Sergio Pérez | 1:12.487 | 36 Laps
2 | Carlos Sainz | 1:12.606 | 32 Laps
3 | Max Verstappen | 1:12.648 | 39 Laps
4 | Pierre Gasly | 1:12.929 | 37 Laps
5 | Lewis Hamilton | 1:12.995 | 34 Laps
Red Bull and Mercedes continue their battle, but it was Ferrari who provided the headlines on Thursday.
There were mixed fortunes in the Scuderia garage in the morning session. Carlos Sainz consistently produced purple sectors throughout the session and ended up second, but Charles Leclerc’s Monaco curse appeared to be continuing as he suffered a gearbox issue which saw his morning running over after just four laps.
The afternoon was good news for all in red, though, as the drivers finished with a surprising 1-2. Leclerc showed no ill effects from missing the earlier session and topped the times, an impressive four tenths clear of Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen.
Whether they can stay at the front come qualifying – after Monaco’s traditional rest day on Friday – is another matter, but they appear to be a genuine threat to the title rivals.
The Photos
The Predictions
Podium
Pole Position
Fastest Lap
Driver of the Day
