F1: Ferrari, Red Bull, Aston Martin and Mercedes battle for pole in Monaco

Monaco is preparing for an exciting fight in the standings: Ferrari, Red Bull, Aston Martin and Mercedes in the fight.

Monaco, the famous race circuit, set the stage for an exciting battle as Friday practice got underway. The lap times shown by the teams suggested a close qualifying session, with at least three and possibly as many as four teams fighting for the top spot.

Ferrari showed their ability at speed in one lap, gaining an advantage over Red Bull. In the Formula 1 scene, it is widely recognized that securing a good place on the grid is very important at Monaco, a track known for its limited overtaking opportunities.

For this season, Ferrari has shown impressive performance in qualifying, although its pace tends to drop when the cars are added to the race day. His good form continued in Monaco, with Carlos Sainz standing out as the fastest rider – until a fatal crash spoiled his progress during FP2.

Sainz showed exceptional skill from the start on Friday, leading in the final two sectors of the circuit. Meanwhile, Charles Leclerc faced several challenges, having to abandon several attempts but escaping unscathed each time.

According to our qualifying data, Ferrari has a slight advantage of 0.08 seconds over Red Bull. Although the gap is small, maintaining that level of performance on Saturday makes them serious contenders for the top spot.

Despite their dominance of the 2023 season so far, Red Bull had a difficult start to the Monaco weekend. Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez expressed dissatisfaction with the balance of the car, focusing in particular on chassis length – a parameter they wanted to improve throughout the day.

However, despite its stiffness, the Red Bull RB19 proved to be the second fastest in the qualifying setup and the fastest on the long laps. Moreover, our data showed its superiority in slow and medium currents. Although Ferrari outclassed Red Bull in practice on Friday, the team is still hoping it can make the adjustments overnight to secure a front-row position, if not both.

Aston Martin, despite playing down its weekend expectations, expressed low confidence in its car’s suitability for the Monaco circuit, especially with the exceptional talent of two-time world champion Fernando Alonso at the wheel.

That courage was proven as Alonso easily navigated the streets of Dominion. The Spaniard praised the car, describing it as easy to drive, and could not resist expressing his belief that Aston Martin could compete for pole position.

This represents another big step forward for Aston Martin, a team that is on the rise in Formula 1. They are currently third in our performance rankings, around 0.3 seconds behind. However, with Alonso in good form, they will be hoping to close the gap and secure a good starting position for Sunday’s race.

Mercedes showed signs of improvement as its much-anticipated upgrade debuted on Friday. Lewis Hamilton, the seven-time world champion, was pleasantly surprised by the speed shown during FP1, even hinting that the team could do exceptionally well.

Although they dropped back during the second session, Mercedes are currently in fourth place. However, they are now even closer to the leaders, just 0.44 seconds apart. Hamilton believes there could be another two tenths of a second to their performance which could see them challenge the front ranks.

Furthermore, his race pace has shown strength, giving hope for future races on more conventional tracks where this will be more beneficial.

Overall, it was an encouraging day for the Mercedes team, raising hopes of a revival and more competitive performances in the near future. As the qualifying rounds approach, motorsport enthusiasts eagerly await the intense battle that awaits the streets of Monaco.