Updated:
May 27, 2023 5:13 pm
Max Verstappen edged ahead of Fernando Alonso to take pole position for the race on Sunday but that Monaco qualifying perhaps might be the best qualifying session we will see all season.
The top 5 cars at the end of the session were all within 0.3s of each other! Fernando Alonso finishing second just 0.084 seconds behind Max after his superior lap which saw him gain 0.3 seconds in the final sector, meaning he secured pole position.
Heartbreak for Ocon also as before everyone had done their final lap, he’d had a great lap giving him provisional pole but he wouldn’t be able to improve from the final lap getting him P4, a solid qualifying result for Alpine but they would’ve wished to have finished higher
Sergio’s Street Circuit Nightmare
Sergio Perez saw himself miss out on a massive opportunity. We all know that Sergio loves his street circuits but perhaps not this week.
A collision with the wall caused by him having too much speed going into the first corner saw him crash out of Q1, an unfortunate error but a costly one and one that could cost him so dearly in the championship fight later on.
Sergio isn’t prone to making mistakes and this season has asserted himself and emerged as one who can challenge his teammate for the title. He currently stands just 14 points away from Verstappen but starting P20 in Monaco is never ideal, a masterclass in strategy and using his skill effectively, which we know shines especially on street circuits, could potentially see him fighting towards the front.
Anything can happen in Formula 1 so don’t ever rule anything out, especially in Monaco.
Mercedes’ Long Awaited Updates Arrive
Mercedes’ long awaited developments to the car were meant to be used and tested properly in Imola last week. However, with the weekend being cancelled, it meant Monaco would be the first time we’d see how the new Mercedes would be… well… not exactly.
As Toto and many other people have mentioned, Monaco has never been a place where they often do well. This could potentially be due to the size of the car, as Mercedes have often had a slightly bigger car than other teams on the grid, or maybe it’s just a curse.
Nevertheless, no matter what team you are, testing out your new developments in Monaco will never show your true potential and pace that you really have.
Hamilton and Russell this weekend have already commented on how the car feels. Both drivers have had similar comments suggesting that the car is better in some areas, but in others it’s not as strong.
The race pace on Sunday could be different as well as the next race in Spain, a track where they might actually be able to show us their true speed.
But for now, all eyes are on Sunday for everyone and hopefully an exciting race lays ahead, we’ve have had consecutive weekends where there hasn’t been much entertainment, nor any good racing. Monaco in notoriously one of the hardest tracks to overtake on but you never know what else can happen.
