It was a bit messy, we didn’t fully get the tyres in the right window – but still not too far off.
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The Mercedes driver has always tended to shine at Monaco but has only won the race – often referred to as the “Jewel in Formula One’s Crown” – twice in 10 appearances. Max Verstappen’s Red Bull then became an interloper in the Toro Rosso battle, but couldn’t quite match Kvyat’s pace as he settled into P2.
Team boss Toto Wolff echoed both his drivers in admitting that they had made a mistake but was thankful for the extra time of Friday to re-adjust the set-up and ensure they would be best-placed for qualifying. Hamilton’s lap was the fastest seen around the Monaco Grand Prix Circuit, beating last year’s pole time by almost 0.2s.
“We had two smooth sessions”, Raikkonen said.
While Hamilton has enjoyed great success in his time at Mercedes, his fractious relationship with former team-mate Nico Rosberg had a detrimental effect within the team which has dominated the sport in recent seasons. “That’s something we have to study and figure out to fix for Saturday”. They had changed over just before the stoppage, and been unable to go faster, and when the session resumed there was so much traffic as others had gone in the opposite direction and were running on the supersofts in race simulations, that neither Hamilton nor Bottas got a chance to improve.
Buoyed by his win at the last round in Spain, having come back after an indifferent weekend in Russian Federation when he could not find the right set-up for his vehicle, Hamilton had been optimistic that Mercedes had moved further forward and were well-prepared for Monaco. “At least we’ve learned what not to do with the set-up here”.
At the fifty minute mark in the session, Sebastian Vettel & Ferrari made a decision to show what they can do by putting in a stunning 1:12.759, half a second clear of anyone and more than a second clear of the best time set by Lewis Hamilton.
Although Mercedes were at the front in Thursday’s opening practice with Lewis Hamilton quickest, they dropped in the afternoon session. “It’s a very mixed-up grid at the moment which I’m sure will all change again on Saturday”, Button said.
Practice was red-flagged with 36 minutes to go when Lance Stroll crashed at Casino Square. The 18-year-old Canadian crashed into the barriers near Casino Square, bringing the session to a brief halt while his auto was lifted off the track.
“It’s a little bit like a 2015 scenario where you come in with a little bit more hope and you realise that’s probably getting away from you”, said Ricciardo, who trails title leader Sebastian Vettel by 67 points.
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Britain’s Jenson Button returned to the cockpit as a McLaren stand-in for Fernando Alonso, who is competing at the Indianapolis 500. Here is a look at the favorites to win Sunday’s race.
