The Monaco Grand Prix may be “the jewel in Formula 1’s crown” but the race itself is rarely must-see TV. Sometimes, it’s downright dull.
F1 and its governing body, the FIA, hope a rule change for Sunday’s race will change that. Drivers will be forced to change tires at least twice in the hope that more pit stop strategy could shake up an event where Saturday qualifying — and the resulting grid position — is often more important than race day.
“I guess it can go both ways," champion Max Verstappen said Thursday. "It can be quite straightforward, or it can go completely crazy because of safety cars coming into play or not making the right calls. I think it will spice it up probably a bit more.”
The change is designed to stop a repeat of last year, when a first-lap crash brought out the red flag, allowing everyone to make their one mandatory tire change.
With overtaking all but impossible on the twisty Monaco streets, the rest of the race was a procession. Home driver Charles Leclerc took the win for Ferrari and all of the top 10 finished in grid order.
How Sunday's race shakes out could depend on whether teams get creative with their strategies.
“Normally, with one stop, once you have a good pit stop and everything is fine, then you drive to the end and just stay focused and not hit the barrier," Verstappen said. "But maybe with a two-stop it can create something different, people gambling, guessing when the right time is to box.”
Leclerc leads the way
Leclerc's win last year in Monaco followed years of frustration at his home race. Friday's first practice session had a similar pattern in miniature as Leclerc recovered from an early crash to set the fastest time.
Leclerc clipped the back of Lance Stroll’s slow-moving Aston Martin, smashing the Ferrari’s front wing and causing a brief stoppage so the debris could be cleared. Stroll said he hadn’t heard a warning from the team over the radio that Leclerc was approaching before he moved across the track into the Ferrari’s path.
In the end, though, Leclerc was fastest by .163 of a second from Verstappen, with Norris third-fastest, .326 off the pace. Alex Albon of Williams was fourth, with Piastri fifth. Seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton placed ninth after briefly going airborne when his Ferrari went over a curb.
Leclerc went fastest again in an eventful second session which saw Piastri cause a red flag when he hit a barrier, though he recovered and was second-fastest, .036 off Leclerc and ahead of Hamilton and Norris. Verstappen could only manage the 10th-fastest time.
French rookie Isack Hadjar called himself “so stupid” over the radio after twice clipping the wall with the rear-left wheel in separate incidents, damaging his Racing Bulls car both times.
McLaren's Monaco pedigree
Monaco was once McLaren territory. It could be again.
It’s the most successful team with 15 wins in Monaco, but none since Lewis Hamilton took the victory in 2008 on his way to his first championship.
Verstappen’s win at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix last week tightened up a title race which was increasingly dominated by McLaren.
Oscar Piastri leads the standings, but now only by 13 points ahead of his teammate Lando Norris and 22 from Verstappen.
Monaco could favor McLaren because its car tends to be easier on its tires and, as Verstappen said last week, because his Red Bull dislikes low-speed corners.
Verstappen skips movie night
Ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix, all but two of the 20 F1 drivers were pictured at a private screening Wednesday of the upcoming movie “F1,” starring Brad Pitt and produced by Lewis Hamilton.
Not Verstappen, though, who became a father for the first time a few weeks ago.
“I wanted to spend more private time,” said Verstappen. “There was the opportunity to watch it, but if I watch it now or in three or four weeks, that’s fine as well.”
___
AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing
James Ellingworth, The Associated Press
