Leclerc Shines in Monaco, Sainz Struggles

Charles Leclerc showcased impressive pace in Monaco’s FP2, building confidence with his SF-24, while teammate Carlos Sainz faced challenges.

Charles Leclerc impressed the paddock in Monaco during FP2, consistently setting fast lap times throughout Friday’s second session, both on medium and soft tyres.

By surpassing the 2023 pole time on Friday, the Ferrari driver sends a strong message to his rivals ahead of the crucial qualifying session.

**”Overall, it seems we have a good car for this track, and I felt quite confident with it today. We need to maintain this pace for FP3, as I might have taken a few more risks today than others, which paid off in terms of lap times, but the key here is to put everything together in qualifying when everyone starts really pushing the limits.”

“We did a good job overall, and we need to keep focusing on ourselves. It was a great feeling to be back in the car on the streets of my hometown and to feel all the support. We’re going to give it our all to have a good qualifying session tomorrow.”

Leclerc remains cautious of the competition, however.

“Mercedes has struggled since the start of the season, but they are very fast this weekend, so we expect them to be the same tomorrow. Lewis was strong all day, so we need to maximize everything tomorrow and hopefully put our F1 on pole.”

“I’ve had two poles in the past, but the Sunday result wasn’t what I wanted. So if we manage to get pole, which is the best start for Sunday, we will need to focus well on Sunday to put everything together and finally claim this victory.”

Carlos Sainz was more reserved at the end of the first day, with times quite distant from those of his teammate.

“It was a tough Friday for me. I struggled to find consistency in the car and played around a lot with the settings.”

“For the last stint of the day, I was happier, and the long run with fuel was positive. We’ll focus on performance during tomorrow’s free practice as we prepare for qualifying.”