The first day of free practice at the 2022 Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix was almost perfect for Ferrari, with its starting pair of drivers among the fastest at all times. Charles Leclerc, who acts as a local in the Principality, achieved the double by setting the best times in the two sessions on Friday, while Carlos Sainz stayed a few thousandths behind his teammate.
The man from Madrid seeks to make up for the problems he had in Spain, where he could only get 4th place after a bad start and a trip through the gravel that sent him to 11th position on lap 7. With patience, and thanks to the pace of his F1-75 , he was able to climb the classification, although he was very far from the podium in what promised to be a festive weekend for all his fans present there.
Already in Monaco, Sainz was only 70 thousandths away from what until Montmeló was the world leader, something that was enough for him to be third in Free Practice 1, while in the second practice sessions he completed the double of those from Maranello at the top .
After getting out of the car, the Spaniard explained his feelings on the circuit where he got his first podium with the Italian team: “An encouraging day in which we have completed our program and we have performed well on the track”.
“Monaco is always a demanding track, but also a very exciting and fun place to get the most out of the car,” he continued. “Tomorrow’s qualifying will be tight judging by what we’ve seen today, but I’m happy with the work we’ve done so far and how we’ve improved every time we’ve been out on track. Now it’s about looking for the little details and to find the perfect balance for qualifying.
His partner, Charles Leclerc , for his part, dominated the streets that saw him grow up from start to finish a few meters from where he lives. With two first positions, he is running to be the driver who lifts the winner’s trophy on Sunday afternoon, although to do so he must beat the Red Bulls and Sainz.
“It was great to see so many people on the track today, considering it’s only Friday,” said the Monegasque happily. “I have to wait for the next two days, and I hope we can give our tifosi a good result.”
“We have ridden regularly and we have completed a good number of laps. We still have to fine-tune the balance, but, in general, it has not been too bad, and now we just have to take the usual step from Friday to Saturday,” Leclerc sentenced while savored this good start to the weekend.
