Forza Ferrari! The Scuderia is back at the front of the pack in Formula 1 with Charles Leclerc leading the drivers’ championship by some margin. In the first few races of the season, the scarlet cars have proven themselves to be both quick and consistent, demonstrating significantly more pace than the Mercedes cars and a much greater level of reliability compared to the Red Bulls.
After three fly-away races, we now find ourselves in the first half of the European season, with the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in Imola, a brief interruption for the debut Miami Grand Prix, and then a trip to Spain.
After that, we’ll be heading to Monte Carlo for the Monaco Grand Prix, a race that is drenched in history and prestige.
Seeing Sainz or Leclerc on the top step of the podium, taking a trophy from the Monegasque royals would be a dream come true for many Ferrari fans. But is that a realistic prospect?
Winning in Monaco is Worth Half a World Championship
Now, of course, winning in Monaco is only worth 25 points, just like at any other Grand Prix weekend, but the prestige that surrounds the event has led some drivers to describe victory at the street circuit as being like winning half a World Drivers’ Championship.
The Monte-Carlo event really is like no other. Sure, there are other street circuits on the calendar now, but none have the history and glamour of Monaco. Former team owner, Eddie Jordan, has said on several occasions that he received more requests for hospitality tickets at this race than any other since everyone wanted to be a part of the event.
In fact, the event is so prestigious and sought-after that many companies use it as a marketing exercise. Sky Sports F1 and other broadcasters often run additional ads in the run-up to the event, encouraging people to purchase a package to watch the race. Meanwhile, companies like O2 and PokerStars have run contests for people to win tickets to this year’s event as a form of marketing.
For Leclerc, winning in Monaco would actually be even more special as he calls the streets of Monte-Carlo his home.
Is it Realistic?
Leclerc is certainly one of the favourites to win the Monaco Grand Prix, at least with more than a month to go. From a personal perspective, he has proven that he has what it takes to win races, though he hasn’t fared so well at Monaco over his career.
In both 2018 and 19, he failed to finish the race and in 2021, he didn’t even make it to the start. In Formula 2, he also retired when he competed in the 2017 race. He’ll be hoping to break this curse in 2022, but the pressure may hinder him in his efforts.
Sainz, on the other hand, has fared better around the streets of the principality. Last year, he finished second, his best result of the year, while he’s finished in the points on every other occasion he’s taken part in the Grand Prix. In fact, he picked up four podiums in 2021, all of them at circuits with lots of low-speed corners.
The development race could mean that other teams could close the gap between them and Ferrari in the meantime, though with the cost cap, that’s going to be a bigger challenge.
It’s also important to note that the Monaco circuit is very different to almost every other track on the calendar. The closest, Hungary, won’t take place until later in the year, so we’re yet to see how the cars will fare on twisting low-speed circuits.
The new 2022 rules have made the cars perform better in high-speed turns, but they have proven to be slower through the low-speed ones than in previous years. Whether the Ferrari is suited to this type of challenge or not is yet to be seen and success will be whether the Italian team has been able to produce enough mechanical grip for its drivers.
But given the great start the team has had so far in 2022 and the fact that they have a driver who appears to perform better at circuits with lots of low-speed turns than anywhere else, we could very well see a Ferrari driver standing on the top step of the podium.
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