Max on top after Monaco Friday practice: 'Difficult start, but a good day'

Published on 26 May 2023 by Stefan Meens

Max Verstappen was quickest after Friday practice at he Monaco Grand Prix. The Oracle Red Bull Racing driver was six hundreths of a second faster than local hero Charles Leclerc. The Monegasque’s Ferrari team mate Carlos Sainz complete the top three, with Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) and Lando Norris (McLaren) occupying fourth and fifth place.

Reflecting on practice, Max said: “The second session was much better than the first with the car more competitive. Compared the Ferrari, we’re falling short in the way the car behaves over the bumps and kerbs. That’s definitely something we’ll have to work on for tomorrow, because the Ferraris are close. Aston Martin are close too. We’ll need a bit more to stay ahead of them.”

Although Max and the RB19 struggled at the start of the day with P6 in FP1, the Dutchman found pace in the second Friday session. “Yeah, the car was a lot better, I was able to push more and get closer to the barriers. So although it didn’t start that great, we had a good end to the day.”

At the start of FP2, Max is one of the first drivers to head out on track. He does so on the medium Pirelli tyres. After a cautious first timed lap, the Red Bull racer’s second attempt lifts him to first. Lewis Hamilton briefly steals top spot away, but Max regains P1 following his third flying lap.

At the halfway mark, most teams are switching from the hard and medium tyres to the soft compound. Max’ first lap on the softs propels him to P3, soon followed by the reigning champion clocking the quickest lap of the session.

With seventeen minutes to go, the red flag comes out following a crash at the swimming pool section. Carlos Sainz has lost control of his Ferrari, and has ended up in the barrier. With eleven minutes to go, the session is resumed with most drivers circling round on medium Pirellis. Lap times are not bettered, meaning Max ends Friday at the top of the timing sheets.

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Results second free practice Monaco: