On the back of their struggles in the latest qualifying sessions, Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur has conceded that the Scuderia’s engineers have been busy over the past day with trying to figure out how to extract the full potential of the SF25 over a single lap.
Just days after the thrilling Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, the Monaco Grand Prix takes place this weekend. The track sees drivers drive around the twisty narrow streets of the Principality that has been a fixture of the F1 calendar since the championship’s birth in 1950.
The Monte Carlo street circuit has not undergone any changes apart from some track resurfacing. At 3.337 kilometres it is the shortest on the calendar and is also very narrow, just 10 metres at its widest point and every corner, be it Ste. Devote, or the Fairmont hairpin, the tunnel, or Rascasse, presents a challenge measured in millimetres and milliseconds.
Following their struggles in recent qualifying sessions, Ferrari are eager to improve the situation especially on a track where overtaking is at premium. The Scuderia’s team boss Fred Vasseur has revealed that the Maranello-based outfit has been working its qualifying performance over the past days to extract the full potential of the SF25 over a single hot lap.
“The Monaco Grand Prix is a unique race. We know how crucial qualifying is at this track, and over the past few days we’ve been working specifically on improving our flying lap performance, because in recent races we haven’t managed to extract the full potential of our package on Saturdays.”
This year, there’s a very interesting change to the sporting regulations, specifically for the Monaco event, namely the requirement for every driver to stop at least twice during the race to change tyres, although there is still no obligation to use more than two of the available three dry tyre compounds.
The aim is to generate more excitement on track, because in recent years, overtaking moves, indeed changes of position in general, have become a rarity. That is why, more than at any other round, qualifying is the key moment of the race weekend.
“This weekend, there is a change to the sporting regulations, specifically for this race which will present all teams with a new challenge,” continued Vasseur.
“Every driver must make at least two pit stops, the aim being to place greater emphasis on strategy and deliver more excitement on track.
“Of course, it is also Charles’s home race, and that makes the event special for the whole team. We are fully determined to put both him and Lewis in the best possible position to maximise their performance.”
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