Both of the Ferrari’s ended Thursday’s FP2 session on the top of the leaderboard, with Hamilton following closely in P3. Sainz’s performance ‘expected’ according to McLaren, puts him in P2.
Lando Norris also believes Sainz has a ‘good chance of winning’ at the infamous Monte-Carlo street circuit.
“I text Carlos before the weekend saying I think he has a good chance of winning. We will see,” Norris commented the result while speaking to Sky F1.
“From our side, I think it was expected, maybe not from the outside or for the viewers,” he continued.
The track is extremely notorious for seeking out real talent, due to its narrow straights and tight, high-speed corners.
Sainz Performance at Monaco “expected” – Norris
“We know where they are quick and not, this track suits them very well so not a surprise and if we look ahead to other tracks I am sure we can get back some places. They are looking strong so not ideal for us but we will do our best.
“It’s tough, Monaco isn’t an easy track to get to grips with and get up to speed.”
Lando, who finished in P6, seems mostly comfortable with the track, out-pacing Red Bull’s Sergio-Perez, as well as Alonso and Vettel; both former World Champions won at this circuit twice.
“I felt pretty comfortable in the car since FP1. The first lap I did, I felt pretty comfortable in the car, good with the braking which is very important around here. I feel good.”
McLaren will most likely be seeking to improve wherever possible to qualify ahead of the prancing horses, as it is expected they will be closely competing for third place in the championship.
“It’s Frustrating” – Daniel Ricciardo
The weekend was less fortunate for Norris’ teammate Daniel Ricciardo, who finished the Free Practice session in P15. Afterwards, Ricciardo told reporters that he ‘had confidence but it was just not translating to lap time.’
“Honestly, from behind the wheel it was quite frustrating because I would cross the line and be like ‘Yeah, that was probably a decent lap’ and it was like ‘You’re P12’ or ‘P15’ or even at one stage P17,” he continued.
“The second sector was my weakest one, that’s all the low speed really, so it’s a bit surprising I am losing so much there. I’ll get into the data, have a look, bring everything down and figure it out.”
Your Take – Sainz Performance Expected by Lando
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