For the first time in the 2022 Formula One season, Scuderia Ferrari Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc will be on the track as the pursuer of Max Verstappen in the Formula 1 Driver Standings, as the Dutchman, against all odds, was able to recover a gap of 46 that Charles had after the Australian Grand Prix. Three races after the Melbourne event, the Ferrari driver has lost the lead in the standings and is now six points behind his title rival, ahead of Charles’ ‘home’ race in Monaco, which takes place this weekend on the streets of Monte Carlo.
For his part, Charles Leclerc has yet to see the checkered flag in the Principality, where he has always offered exciting performances but without ever crossing the finish line. In Barcelona, the Ferrari F1-75 recorded a significant leap in terms of performance thanks to the updates introduced on the 2022 single-seater which has improved in all areas, not only in aerodynamic efficiency and therefore in top speed.
Even in the third sector of the Circuit de Catalunya, the slowest one and therefore most relevant in view of Monaco, the F1-75 proved to be very strong, as evidenced by Charles Leclerc’s sensational qualifying lap, three tenths faster than Max Verstappen. Is Ferrari therefore the favorite in view of the weekend just around the corner in Monaco? It’s always difficult in this start of the 2022 Formula 1 season to make predictions before the first indications from the Friday practice session, but the Italian media tried to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of both teams to see who could have the upper hand in the next round of the championship.
According to today’s edition of the Italian daily newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport, both Scuderia Ferrari and Red Bull have strengths which can prove to be a factor on the narrowest circuit of the Formula 1 calendar. Indeed, the F1-75 showed great agility in Barcelona thanks to the mix of traction, acceleration and handling: “The F1-75 car showed traction, dynamic and aerodynamic balance, as well as excellent handling, all very important characteristics for being fast on the streets of Monte Carlo” – writes Paolo Filisetti – “No less important is the contribution that the power unit 066/7 will be able to provide, despite the fact that the track is not really known for veing a power unit circuit. One of the most obvious features of the current power units is linked to the recharging capacity guaranteed by the ERS, and the consequent availability of energy for the entire lap”.
As far as Red Bull is concerned, however, Monaco could be one of the tracks where the benefits of having chosen the pull-rod suspension design at the front could be seen: “Red Bull will be a fierce rival in the Principality too” – La Gazzetta dello Sport continues – “not only thanks to the downforce generated by the floor, which is considerable according to rumors even at speeds below 200 kilometers per hour, but above all due to the precision of insertion that the front end has shown so far. The pull-rod suspension, with monolithic upper arm made the RB18 the fastest in changes of direction and easy to handle in slow sections” – the Italian newspaper explained, ahead of the 2022 Monaco Grand Prix.
Leave a Reply