Ben Stevens reflects on qualifying for the Monaco Grand Prix, and what it means for the race today.
Kimi Raikkonen on pole. What year is this?
Nearly nine years have passed since the Finn last occupied the occupied the first slot on the grid – a lot has changed in the interim, both for Kimi and the sport as a whole, but for one day at least, he was once again the fastest man on track.
Naturally the moment meant a lot to him, Raikkonen clearly fighting to hold back the emotions brought on by his achievement. There was actually a moment where the corner of his mouth curled upwards… at least I think so.
Obviously he heads into Sunday with excellent odds of breaking another drought – having last won a race in Australia at the start of 2013. Regardless of what happens tomorrow, this is a big accomplishment.
Since coming back to Ferrari in 2014 he’s been little more than a punching bag for his teammates, first Fernando Alonso, now Sebastian Vettel. He’s been written off more times than you could count, while no seat is hotter than his for 2018. If only for one day, it doesn’t matter. The Ice Man is back, baby.
Mercedes with work to do
There’s two ways you can cut Valtteri Bottas’ P3 finish in qualifying for Mercedes – either it’s a positive because the 0.045s gap to pole represents tremendous progress after a dismal Friday, or it’s a negative because it shows Ferrari an equal – if not superior – all-around package. In either case, the 2017 season is quickly becoming the fight of their lives.
Something else worth mentioning, is that for the second time this season Lewis Hamilton has had more difficulty than Bottas setting up the car. It seems that when Mercedes are forced to deviate drastically from their initial setups – as they were here and in Russia – Hamilton seems to have a harder time with the adjustments than Bottas.
Of course he should’ve got out of Q2, and maybe Q3 would’ve been a different story, but based on what we did see, he was struggling. At the very least, after years of asking for cars that are harder to drive, it certainly looks like he got his wish.
McLaren on the up… and down again
Two cars in Q3 is certainly cause for celebration in the McLaren-Honda garage, but the festivities might be short-lived considering the price they paid elsewhere.
A 15-place grid penalty for Jenson Button, Stoffel Vandoorne taking an early lunch courtesy of the barriers at the swimming pool chicane, and now the admission their MGU-H can’t last more than two races.
In a year with wall-to-wall disappointments, this might be the most McLaren-Honda-ish one yet. Try as they might, 2017 just isn’t their year.
Sunday tyre-strategy preview, courtesy of Pirelli:
The quickest – One-stopper: 1 stint on ultrasoft (28* laps) + 1 stint on supersoft to the flag.
*This slot can vary widely, also because of Safety Cars, without losing too much time.
Considerably slower – Two-stopper: 2 stints on ultrasoft (22+22 laps) + 1 stint on supersoft to the flag.
Read the full story at GRAND PRIX 247
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