Scuderia Ferrari dreams cautiously but optimistically. The first day of free practice in Monaco concluded with Charles Leclerc dominating the second free practice session, thanks to excellent laps that made him the reference point for both the medium and soft tires.
The potential of the Prancing Horse, at least in Charles Leclerc’s hands, manifested notably during the second free practice session, particularly during dry-weather qualifying simulations. Leclerc began setting impressive times, surpassing his opponents by over nine-tenths on the medium tires, a performance that exceeded expectations.
However, this gap narrowed significantly when everyone switched to the softer tire compound, crucial for making a difference in qualifying, the decisive phase of the weekend. Ferrari has faced challenges this season in extracting the maximum performance, not only transitioning from medium to soft tires but also between Q2 and Q3, where drivers push the limits.
Charles Leclerc highlighted this aspect, emphasizing the importance of securing pole position, a goal Ferrari believes is within reach given his strong rapport with the SF-24: “I think we were really strong on the mediums, while on the softs, we struggled to put everything together due to heavy traffic. Overall, we have a good car at the moment, I have confidence in the car, I feel comfortable,” Charles Leclerc explained at the end of the second free practice session for the Monaco Grand Prix in Monte Carlo.
He emphasized the need to maintain this momentum in FP3, as Monaco’s nature often sees rivals make significant strides on Saturdays. Despite a positive Friday, Charles Leclerc remains aware of the challenges in perfecting a lap in Monaco, where there’s always room for improvement.
The Monegasque driver recognizes the nuances of Monaco’s track and remains cautious about the unexpected. Despite Mercedes showing strong performance, he remains focused on maximizing Ferrari’s potential, aiming for pole position: “We arrived here knowing that anything was possible. In 2021, although we didn’t have a particularly good car like Ferrari, Monaco’s characteristics suited our car well, and we were fast,” the Ferrari man explained.
“This weekend, Mercedes seems fast, despite their struggles earlier in the season. They seem very quick this weekend. We expect them to be fast tomorrow. Now we’ll try to maximize everything tomorrow and hopefully secure pole position,” Charles Leclerc added, underscoring the goal of securing pole position on Saturday.
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