Circuit Monte Carlo
Date 27.05.2018
Laps 78
Distance 260,286 km / 161,769 miles
No Driver Ferrari S/N Team Result
5 Sebastian Vettel SF71H Scuderia Ferrari 2.
           
7 Kimi Raikkonen SF71-H Scuderia Ferrari 4.

 

Monaco Grand Prix – Monte Carlo 27 May

Posted: 27.05.2018
Source: Ferrari

Maurizio Arrivabene: “Compared to the race weekend here last year, this one seemed more difficult right from the start. But thanks to the efforts of everyone in the team, the SF71H got progressively better, until it proved capable of taking second place in qualifying. However, on a track like this, it was not enough to produce an even better race result. Like everyone else, we opted for a one-stop strategy, which therefore meant having to manage the tyres in the second stint, so as to save them for the final laps. However, at that point, the Virtual safety car came out, meaning it was no longer possible to attack.”

Sebastian Vettel: “Today, I was trying to get closer to the car in front and do something; but obviously if you get closer it doesn’t help with your tires. In some corners you don’t really need power and Ricciardo was quicker than us. He was always able to open the gap and I was never really there. He could keep his pace and I think that perhaps it could have been worse for us if he hadn’t had some issues. Unfortunately, there weren’t many chances to do something different. I think it was tricky for us to make the tires work the right way. Then, when the Virtual Safety Car came on, a McLaren was just exiting the box and took a lot of time, while I was struggling with tire warm-up, and I think that was the biggest issue that cost me quite a few seconds. It took to me one and a half lap to get the rhythm back, but by then it was too late. However, there are so many races to go and I believe we need to understand our problems. We have a good car, but we can make it better.”

Kimi Raikkonen: “Today nothing really happened in the race; to be honest, it was a pretty boring one. We know that on this track, once everybody has stopped, whoever is in the front dictates the speed and no matter if he goes four second slower on a lap, there’s no way to pass unless somebody makes a big mistake or runs out of tires. We end up following each other through the whole race. I had no problem managing my tires, in fact they were pretty good. I only had some graining with the first set, but apart from that they were ok. I was never worried about Bottas behind me, we had the speed and I could easily close up with the car in front, but there was no way to pass him. We were all the time doing our best, but couldn’t use our pace. Obviously we cannot be happy with fourth position, but as always, we try to learn from every race.”

 

Monaco Grand Prix – Runner-up in Monaco

Posted: 27.05.2018
Source: Ferrari

Seb 2°, Kimi 4° in a race where overtaking was not on the cards

Monaco, 27 May –Scuderia Ferrari come away from the Monaco GP, finishing in their grid positions, with Sebastian Vettel back on the podium in second place and Kimi Raikkonen fending off Bottas in the Mercedes to claim fourth.

There were a few harmless drops of rain prior to the start, while the wind constantly changed direction. From second place, Seb immediately tried to attach Ricciardo and Kimi kept fourth place. Then the classic Monegaque Sunday train set off aroun the 3337 metre-long track. The only one who was in DRS range, for the little it counts here, was Raikkonen, who was right up behind Hamilton. Stroll’s Williams got a puncture and pitted right in front of the leading duo.

After 12 laps, the first to change tyres was Hamilton taking on Ultrasofts. Seb picked up the pace to cover off any possible undercut and Kimi also went flat out. On lap 16, the Number 5 car pitted with Sebastian taking on Ultrasofts, managing to get out, as planned, ahead of Bottas. Ricciardo and Kimi also changed tyres, with Bottas coming in for the harder Supersofts. Out in front, no change, but the gaps grew a bit bigger.

On lap 28, Ricciardo’s pace dropped and Seb tried to make the most of it, using all the aids on the steering wheel. But this is Monaco and in the twisty bits, engine power counts for little, so that we had the usual paradox here that the leader manages the situation, going slower than those behind.

The other unusual feature is that the tyres, rather than getting worse, actually improve as the graining gradually cleans up. Sebastian kept the pressure on Ricciardo right up to the closing stages, but the only chance here is if your rival makes a mistake.

There was still time for some drama, as Leclerc, having run out of brakes, collided with the back of Hartley at the tunnel exit, bringing out the Virtual Safety Car. Vandoorne who was lapped, pitted and came out right in front of Seb, who thus immediately lost four seconds prior to the restart. So, a low key finish, but a Ferrari on the podium and 30 points towards the Constructors’ championship in the knowledge that we were on the pace. “Thanks guys, the car was very strong,” was Seb’s comment over the radio.

 

Monaco Grand Prix – “The main thing is that we have potential”

Posted: 26.05.2018
Source: Ferrari

Seb happy with second, Kimi regrets struggling a bit with tyres in Turn 1

Monte-Carlo, May 26 – There is at least one thing that will never be missing from Monaco qualifying, and that’s action. The session went down to the wire and in the end, Scuderia Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel came away with second place, while his team-mate Kimi Raikkonen narrowly missed third place by a mere three hundredths of a second.

“I’ve been quite happy today”, was Seb’s comment, “even if you always have the feeling you could do much more. However, we tried to get everything out of our car and we got a good position. Red Bull has been strong since Thursday, but we got as close as we could. The main thing for us is that our car has potential. In the first corner I just couldn’t drive the way I wanted but for the rest it was ok. It was a tricky session also in terms of getting the tires together. Now we’ll focus on the start tomorrow, but it will be a long race. It will be a different game to play tomorrow, compared to today. On Sunday, it could be more tactical, and we need to consider that a short period of the race could decide the result of the race itself. Also, we need a bit of luck, but the most important thing is to be ready to react.  We know what we have to do, so we’ll see how the race turns out”.

“Today we struggled a bit to make the tires work straightaway in the first two corners, get them into the correct temperature window and get the car  to turn where we wanted. During the lap they seemed to improve, but here at Monaco, if you are not 100 per cent sure of how it’s going to be in Turn 1, then you lack a bit of confidence. Obviously, we cannot be totally happy with this result,  we wanted to be higher up the time sheet, but this what we have got today.  The race is a different story. Usually it’s very tricky to overtake here, but in the past a lot of things happened.  We’ll try to stay out of any trouble, make the right decisions and do the right things at the right moment”.

 

Monaco Grand Prix – Sebastian on the front row

Posted: 26.05.2018
Source: Ferrari

And Kimi fourth in Monaco qualifying

Monaco, 26 May – Scuderia Ferrari qualified in second and fourth places this afternoon on the streets of the Principality. Sebastian Vettel was best placed of the two, with a lap in 1’11”039, while Kimi Raikkonen stopped the clocks in 1’11”266. Both drivers used Hypersoft tyres throughout the session. Tomorrow’s Monaco Grand Prix gets underway at 15:10.

 

 

Monaco Grand Prix – Monaco Free Practice completed

Posted: 26.05.2018
Source: Ferrari

Seb third fastest ahead of Kimi

Monaco, 26 May – Come the end of the final hour of free practice, Sebastian Vettel was third fastest with a lap in 1’12”023 and right behind him is his team-mate Kimi Raikkonen, whose best lap was a 1’12”142. Scuderia Ferrari ran the Hypersoft tyre compound with both its drivers. The session was red-flagged towards the end, after Max Verstappen crashed into the barriers, but it resumed for a final three minutes.

 

Monaco Grand Prix – “It was fun driving around”

Posted: 24.05.2018
Source: Ferrari

Kimi and Seb pleased with first day of practice

Monaco, May 24 – At the end of the two free practice sessions, on a track that was rapidly evolving and with lap times consistently going down, Scuderia Ferrari drivers Seb Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen came away with the third and fifth best times in P2 respectively, while the SF71H showed a consistent pace in race-trim simulation.

“This first day was not too bad, a pretty normal Thursday”, Kimi said. “The feeling with the car was not too bad, but this track is always quite tricky to start with, and we were trying many different things.  The drive around the circuit is a bit more complicated than in other places;  it’s easier to end up making a big mistake, while in a normal place you would just end in a run-off area. You need to be more careful and start pushing when you feel that everything is all right. For sure there are things to improve, but we were able to do what was planned and managed to stay out of trouble.  It’s difficult to have a clear picture; in many practice sessions we have seen some cars being very fast on Friday and then in qualifying it’s a different case. Let’s wait and see what happens on Saturday”.

And here’s Seb’s comment on the day: “I think it was a decent day. In Monaco there’s always traffic, and today we had the red flag, so that it was a bit messy. It’s not that easy to get everything together in a lap here. I am not entirely happy about the second and the last sector. So, I think there’s something we can do better. I believe we got the best out of the tires and on Saturday it will be very close.

There isn’t more pressure on this track than on the others, but I think it’s more fun. The track is very challenging and you have no room for mistakes but it’s quite enjoyable. You think twice before trying something here. However, I have a good feeling with the car. Today I trusted my car and even if I was sliding a little bit, I knew I wouldn’t have touched the barrier. We still need to improve, but generally it’s good fun driving around”.

 

Monaco Grand Prix – Thursday practice

Posted: 24.05.2018
Source: Ferrari

Scuderia Ferrari 3rd and 5th 

Monaco, 24 May – Sebastian Vettel was third fastest in a time of 1’12”413 in the second practice session on the Thursday of the Monaco Grand Prix. Kimi Raikkonen was fifth in 1’12”543. Both drivers ran the Hypersoft and Ultrasoft, spending the second part of the session on long runs, followed by practice starts. The session had to be red flagged at one point for a manhole cover to be repaired between the Casino and Mirabeau corners. Track action resumes on Saturday with final free practice taking place at 12h00, followed by qualifying at 15h00.

 

Monaco Grand Prix – Monaco is underway

Posted: 24.05.2018
Source: Ferrari

Vettel ahead of Raikkonen in P1

Monaco, 24 May –Come the end of the first free practice session through the streets of the Principality of Monaco, Sebastian Vettel was fourth fastest in 1’13”041, followed by Kimi Raikkonen who posted a 1’13”066. Both Scuderia Ferrari drivers tried the Hypersoft tyres, running in various configurations. Second practice gets underway at 15h00.

 

 

 

Monaco Grand Prix – “A completely different challenge”

Posted: 23.05.2018
Source: Ferrari

Kimi and Seb talk about the upcoming Monaco weekend

Monaco, May 23th – As is customary here, activity starts one day earlier at the Monaco Grand Prix. Scuderia Ferrari drivers Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel, together with the whole team, are preparing for a challenge that is very different to any other racing weekend on the calendar.

“The whole weekend here in Monaco is a big challenge”, confirms Kimi. “This is such a tricky place that even if you are the fastest it doesn’t guarantee you a win; there are so many things that can happen, and you might not have time to react. All those things make it pretty difficult.  This is a special weekend, you need to build up to it a little bit more than on a normal circuit. Tomorrow we’ll start with the practice, then we’ll make the car how we want it to be. The track changes a lot over practice, qualifying and the race. We need to follow these changes, making sure that we’ll have the right set-up to be able to push when it’s time to do so. You need to trust your car and have a good feeling. In testing we already tried the Hypersoft compound, but obviously the conditions in Barcelona were completely different. For sure they gave more grip. It’s impossible to know where we are going to be, but we’ll start tomorrow and go through the normal program. We’ll try to do well”.

Seb adds: “In Monaco the atmosphere is different and the setting so beautiful. The history here is great and we have the chance to be part of this history. It’s definitely a place to enjoy. Winning here means a lot to all of us; if you could chose a race to win on the calendar, you would pick the Monaco GP. This is a track where you need to trust your ability and your car. This is also a weekend in which we will have different compounds, using the Hypersofts and Ultrasofts. To be honest, I think the experience in Barcelona doesn’t matter for this weekend, because the track is so different. Certainly, everything we have learned from Barcelona and the testing session will be important. There are many things we are working on and a lot of things we can do better. The challenge is always there, so we need to stay focused and do our job. We have a strong car and a strong team and it’s up to us to put everything together. Time will tell”.

 

Monaco Grand Prix – Caught between two eras

Posted: 22.05.2018
Source: Ferrari

Tradition is what counts in Monaco, but there are changes aplenty

It’s the anti-circuit par excellence, the antithesis of overtaking, the negation of aero efficiency, but not of drag! But there is also the weight of history, tradition and glamour. The only way to really understand the Monaco Grand Prix and we’re talking about the motor race, not the surrounding razzmatazz, is to spend at least a day at the side of the circuit, enjoying the mind-blowing imbalance between the narrowness of the track and the speed of the cars.

Tales and anecdotes are myriad here and many of them involve Ferrari. There was the first win in 1952, which wasn’t billed as an F1 race at all, but was contested between Sports cars, then Ascari’s dive into the harbour, the tragedy of Bandini in ’67, the brilliance of Villeneuve in 1981 and the magic Michael Schumacher years, right up to the one-two finish for Vettel and Raikkonen last year.

Then there’s the track, where, it is said, anything can happen, although the reality on so many occasions, at least in the race, is that nothing ever does. It’s the only track where the race length is under the regulation 305 kilometres. For Ferrari, it’s not a long trip, but it’s always a logistical headache, even if the new pits, first used in 2004, made life a bit easier for the teams. And this year, there are further changes to the infrastructure. There are also changes on the tyre front, with the Hypersoft compound making its debut. The timetable too is different, even if the new 15h10 start time on Sunday is almost a throwback to the days, not that long gone, when this race got underway at half three in the afternoon.

What can be considered “old” or more politely, “traditional,” is everything else: the magical setting, the passion of the fans, not all of whom are millionaires, who come to enjoy a weekend that is unique, even in terms of how long it lasts. Because Friday in Monaco is almost sacred as a day off for the F1 cars prior to the grand finale.

 

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