Monaco Grand Prix 2018 — Pre-Race Insights
This weekend we head to the city streets of Monte Carlo for another exhilarating race. One of the most, if not the most iconic event on the F1 Calendar. All the glitz and glamour of the Monagasque lifestyle come to the fore. There will never be another street race quite like this one, Singapore and Baku are well-endowed in their own way; but it seems like this one race pretty much defines the pinnacle of motorsport.
The track has been resurfaced and is definitely not as bumpy as before. But the margins for error are minimum. The drivers will be millimeters away from the wall throughout the track to unlock the best out of the car and the fastest time. Little to no run-off areas, which makes it challenging for the drivers but it’s the kind of challenge that they absolutely relish.
Things to look forward to for the weekend;
- Redbull coming into this race are the most likeliest contenders for the podium along with Ferrari. Their overall package has suited this track but due to unfortunate events in the past, they haven’t dominated the event as much as they would like. Look out for Max and Daniel to set the stage.
- Mercedes have been playing down their chances right from the start and likely so. They have the longest wheelbase in the paddock which is less nimble around a tight street circuit like Monaco, but there are suspension and vehicle dynamic setups that they can play with to make the car respond better. They have brought in a revised suspension and steering setup for this weekend for better steering lock and steering response. We will have to wait and see how they perform against Red Bull and Ferrari
- Toro Rosso is a mid-field team that has a tremendous record at Monaco. Gasly and Hartley will be looking to use their dominant package and most the most of the weekend.
- Hometown hero Charles Leclerc will be looking forward to his home race. Well there are many drivers who call Monaco ‘home’ like Lewis Hamilton and Brendan Hartley among others, but Charles was born in an apartment right opposite the main straight. He used to take a bus to school everyday on the same road. It doesn’t get much more “home” than that.
- Williams even with their sub-par package, have been getting decent results thanks to Stroll and Sirotkin driving their socks off. It will be interesting to see how the race pans out for them.
Hope we given you a glimpse of what to expect going into the weekend. We will be back with the Post-Race Analysis on Sunday. Till then we hope you like what you read. For more content of this sort, follow The Automotive Anecdotes for your regular dose of Motorsports and just about everything on four wheels.
