Charles Leclerc surpasses Sergio Pérez and Carlos Sainz with the first three divided by one tenth; George Russell and Lewis Hamilton eighth and 10th and Mercedes say the car “can’t be driven” due to the bounce; Watch Practice Two live on Sky Sports F1 at 4pm, with the build from 3:45 pm
By Matt Morlidge in Monaco
Last updated: 27/05/22 15:11
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Anthony Davidson gets on board with Charles Leclerc and takes a closer look at Mercedes’ bounce problem
Anthony Davidson gets on board with Charles Leclerc and takes a closer look at Mercedes’ bounce problem
Local hero Charles Leclerc set the pace ahead of Sergio Pérez in the first training sessions of the Monaco GP, as the most prestigious and demanding F1 weekend began with a close fight ahead between Ferrari and Red Bull, although Mercedes was affected by more rebounds.
Leclerc, born and raised in the Principality, but still to finish the iconic race, came back after losing his lead in the championship last weekend in Spain to lead the P1 with a 1: 14.531, when the new biggest cars of 2022 they hit the famous. narrow streets of Monte Carlo for the first time.
Red Bull, who have installed Ferrari as Monaco’s favorite, came close, with Sergio Pérez just 0.039 seconds behind Leclerc, while Monegasque teammate Carlos Sainz was also one-tenth in third. place.
Last year’s winner Max Verstappen and new championship leader was a tenth behind, although both he and his rival Leclerc explored the boundaries at Sainte Devote.
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Red Bull’s Max Verstappen has a big lock on the first corner and makes his right front tire smoke on the FP1
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen has a big lock on the first corner and makes his right front tire smoke on the FP1
McLaren was also quick, with Lando Norris easing fears about his health after a tonsillitis to finish an encouraging fifth and Daniel Ricciardo seventh, but Mercedes deviated and felt uncomfortable.
Last weekend it looked like Mercedes had solved its porpoise, but its W13 car bounced violently in early practice despite slower speeds and George Russell finished eighth and Lewis Hamilton 10th.
“It’s so bouncing here, man I’m losing my mind,” Hamilton said. “I need elbows in this cabin is bouncing so much.”
While the Monaco bounce may be a stiff suspension instead of the porcelain on the floor of your car, it’s an unwanted headache for Mercedes as they look to take advantage of their new F22 2022 boost.
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Mick Schumacher blocks the pit lane when his car stops at FP1, causing a red flag
Mick Schumacher blocks the pit lane when his car stops at FP1, causing a red flag
“I think we have a travel issue that we’ve had during the season,” team leader Toto Wolff told Sky Sports F1.
“It looks like our car is working … it’s a good car. But you can’t drive like that. We’ll change the settings, we’ll try to make it more enjoyable for drivers.”
Pierre Gasly impressed sixth for AlphaTauri, but there were some nightmare sessions for other riders, namely Mick Schumacher and Valtteri Bottas.
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Toto Wolff says that if Mercedes is going to keep up, George Russell and Lewis Hamilton may have to deal with bouncing in the car all weekend.
Toto Wolff says that if Mercedes is going to keep up, George Russell and Lewis Hamilton may have to deal with bouncing in the car all weekend.
Schumacher suffered a gearbox failure at first and was forced to stop his Haas car, blocking the pit lane and causing a red flag in the process.
It was even worse for Bottas, who only completed two laps on an Alfa Romeo that many tipped to be fast this weekend. The team said it was a “technical problem”.
A great weekend in motorsport continues Friday later, with the second practice starting at 4pm live on Sky Sports F1.
Monaco GP training time sheet
Driver Team Time 1) Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1: 14.531 2) Sergio Perez Red Bull +0.039 3) Carlos Sainz Ferrari +0.070 4) Max Verstappen Red Bull +0.181 5) Lando Norris McLaren +0.525 6) Pierre Gasly Alp) Daniel Ricciardo McLaren +0.626 8) George Russell Mercedes +0.680 9) Sebastian Vettel Aston Martin +0.856 10) Lewis Hamilton Mercedes +0.968 11) Yuki Tsunoda Alpha Tauri +1.005 12) Lance Stroll Aston 1.218 14) Kevin Magnussen Haas +1.275 15) Alexander Albon Williams +1.579 16) Esteban Ocon Alpine …