McLaren has an extremely solid front end in F1, generating truly impressive front-end grip. For this reason, they build the lap in a completely different way compared to Ferrari and balance the delta right in the first half of the corner. For example, at the entry to Mirabeau they follow a completely different line from the Red car, demanding a lot from the car on entry while following a much tighter trajectory.
Super McLaren at the front
When we say they have an incredible front end, we really mean it, since they’re building the lap through the corner entry on a track like Monaco! We repeat this to highlight how unique this approach is. Furthermore, careful observation of the onboard footage shows that sometimes, during turn-in, the drivers make corrections with the steering wheel.
In this case, it’s not due to a loss of rear grip, but rather the drivers being “surprised” by the level of front grip the car produces. It sounds absurd, but that’s how it is. On exit, especially towards the end of the lap in the third sector, we’ve noticed a tendency toward oversteer — an excess of rotation the team has worked on ahead of today.
It should be noted that on Saturday in Monte Carlo, many dynamics could shift in terms of competitive order. The various F1 teams are building their laps in very different ways, and we know that several teams are capable of completely flipping a car’s setup with just one night of simulator work.
Red Bull: still chasing balance
Currently, Red Bull appears to be the third or fourth force on the grid, but it’s still unclear, and the Milton Keynes team has accustomed us to extraordinary progress from Friday to Saturday. At the moment, the car has several issues. It seems okay on entry but then loses time in traction. We’ve seen that a too-soft setup is very difficult to achieve on a car like the RB21.
In general, it’s noticeable that the car needs to rely more on short-shifting to avoid wheelspin, and the rear end still isn’t sorted out on corner exit. It also seems that some curbs aren’t being handled well. The jolt caused by the curb produces a reaction that lasts longer than with other cars. It will be very interesting to see what they find today.
A good portion of their problems stems from tire management. For half the lap, the gap is contained, and up to the tunnel, Verstappen is neck-and-neck with Ferrari and McLaren. But in traction as he enters the tunnel, he loses a huge amount of time. The same happens at the next chicane, the one at the Port (turns 9–10).
Between the apex of turn 8, where the gap between Verstappen and Charles Leclerc is almost zero, and the finish line, they lose a full seven-tenths. So they need to understand how to make the tire work better for the second half of the lap. They hinted at something over the radio, but overall haven’t spoken much about the car’s issues.
Mercedes: the weak point is all in the slow corners
A car that clearly isn’t performing in the slow corners is Mercedes, which loses three and a half tenths across the section from turn 4 to the tunnel. Essentially, their entire gap accumulates in just these few corners, because elsewhere on the lap they balance things fairly well. It seems they are suffering from a lack of mechanical grip.
We can’t entirely blame the tires because in the rest of the lap the time loss is minimal. And yet, they had often shown good aero-mechanical compromises in the past. It remains to be seen whether today they can make a step forward to fight on equal terms for pole position.
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