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FP1 LIVE | First free practice session for the 2022 F1 Monaco Grand Prix
The Formula 1 teams face another challenge just one week after the sizzling Grand Prix in Spain. On the Monaco circuit, it is once again the task of the racing teams to get as much out of the car as possible.
Live blog of FP1 of the GP of Monaco
Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen proved once again that they can reach great heights in Barcelona. It was the Monegasque, who faces a home race this weekend, who took qualifying, but engine problems prevented him from finishing the race weekend. As a result, Verstappen walked away with the win.
Leclerc will be keen to do better this weekend, but in doing so he will seemingly not only have to contend with Verstappen. Besides Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz, Mercedes also seems to be becoming an increasingly serious competitor. The German racing team did come up a lot of time short on Ferrari and Red Bull in Spain, but the Monaco circuit seems to be an ideal place for Mercedes to make the next step.
The free practice sessions will be extra important for the teams, as overtaking will be difficult during the race on Sunday. Therefore, it will be crucial for the drivers to secure a good starting position to lay claim to victory.
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Overtaking around Monaco
Qualifying for the Monaco Grand Prix is notoriously known as the most important Saturday session of the entire year. Though that point isn't exactly true when looking at the data. It wasn't the case last time out in Spain but pole position in Barcelona as won an incredible 72% of races. Monaco is still high for Formula 1, but way down in comparison at 45%. Since 2015, pole position has won twice at Monaco. Prior to that, there was a six-race run of the pole-sitter also taking the victory on Sunday.
However, in the last four Monaco Grands Prix, there have been less than 10 on track overtakes combined. So what happened to the pole-sitter? In 2021, Leclerc secured pole position but crashed on the way back to the garage. Ferrari thought they had solved the problem, but on the way to the grid Leclerc broke down. There was no Grand Prix in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2017, 2016 and 2015 the race-winning move occurred in the pitlane.
The pressure on the pit crew in Monaco is immense. The undercut is extremely powerful, and any mistake in the pitlane is, therefore, more costly. Mercedes estimate the drive-through time at 19.4 seconds. Against fresh tyres, that's difficult to combat. With the safety car probability at 60%, teams also have to be quick on the button to react and bring their driver in for an advantageous pitstop.
Our indications suggest that Ferrari will be on top, with Mercedes and Red Bull battling for the second row. Perhaps Valtteri Bottas can spring a surprise. Though we know, one small mistake in Monaco creates huge changes.
