Will Monaco be a big turning point in the World Cup fight? The Mercedes, which have been outstanding so far, cannot keep up with Ferrari’s pace in the first two training sessions. Kimi Antonelli and George Russell are convinced: Victory in qualifying and the race can only come from the reds.
The two Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton opened the Formula 1 weekend in Monaco with two “double victories”. World Cup favorite Mercedes only finished fourth and fifth in both sessions. A bad signal for Saturday and Sunday.
“It looks like Ferrari is in a very strong position. We know that they are generally good in Monaco and they are certainly the favorites tomorrow,” said championship leader Kimi Antonelli, taking off his hat to the Scuderia’s speed.
Mercedes surprised by Red Bull Speed
Teammate Russell also sees the Reds far ahead. “We expected Ferrari to be the team to beat. Many have said it’s just talk, but they are clearly the team to beat,” said the Brit, who was also impressed by Max Verstappen’s pace. “Red Bull was a bit of a surprise for us,” admitted Russell openly after Max Verstappen finished third in both sessions.
If the Mercedes driver has his way, his own problems aren’t really a reason to worry. “We knew this would be the most challenging race for us yet. It may even be a little more challenging than we had hoped.”
The Silver Arrows crew now had to make progress “overnight,” said Russell. “We didn’t get it perfect today, there is still room for improvement.” The 28-year-old left it open whether these would be enough to knock Ferrari off the Monaco throne.
“I’ll be honest, the trend that we’ve seen here and on other street circuits with Ferrari has been going on for ten years. Every car has a DNA. And their DNA clearly works on street circuits. I believe that we can narrow the gap to them. Whether we can do more? I’m not sure,” indicated Russell, indicating that the Mercedes will probably only see the two Ferraris from behind at the weekend.