It was Mercedes in 2016, Ferrari in 2017, Red Bull in 2018 – but who will rule the streets of Monaco in 2019? Motorsport Week takes a look at some of the key talking points as Formula 1 rolls in to the Principality.
Is this Mercedes’ best shot at invincibility?
A perfect season is nigh on impossible due to the fact that every single element needs to fall perfectly into place – not only the strength of respective individuals and teams but the weakness of any opposition. Mercedes has had five perfect races this year while its rivals are still scrabbling to kick-start their seasons. Monaco presents something of a banana skin and Mercedes has not triumphed in the Principality since 2016 – and even that came with an element of good fortune. But its pace through Barcelona’s final sector provided an indication that the W10 will be the car to beat around Monaco’s streets. Mercedes managed 16/19 in 2014, 16/19 in 2015, and 19/21 in 2016, during its days of total supremacy. Can it possibly get close to such numbers in 2019? It does not have the same performance advantage as back then but the team is inherently stronger, with better reliability and without the driver tension that cost it a few wins.
Can Verstappen mount a challenge?
Daniel Ricciardo’s switch to Renault has removed a previous front-runner who has starred in Monaco through the hybrid era – so now it’s up to Max Verstappen to fill the void. But as electric as Verstappen has been in Formula 1 he has a poor record in Monaco. Having starred in 2015 his weekend came to a high-speed conclusion after clipping Romain Grosjean at Sainte Devote, while a year later a strong race recovery – after a practice crash – was truncated when he slid into the Massenet wall. Last year he was a firm favourite for the win but a practice crash consigned him to the back of the grid, from where he finished ninth. Verstappen has already cautioned that Mercedes is faster in all types of corner but it would be remiss to discount Red Bull from contention given its (or rather Ricciardo’s) recent results in Monaco. With Ferrari struggling slightly, and Pierre Gasly still getting a handle on the RB15, all eyes will surely be on a much-improved Verstappen.
How will Leclerc fare on home soil?
Ferrari’s title challenge is hanging by the thinnest of threads, having been out-paced, out-foxed and out-manoeuvred by Mercedes so far in 2019. In order to overhaul such a large deficit the chaser has to be a better all-round operation than the chased and, pure power grunt aside, that is not the case. Much of the attention this weekend is likely to fall on home hero Charles Leclerc. Some drivers competing on home soil do so hundreds of miles from their actual birth place or, in the case of Monaco, they may live there, but did not grow up there. No so Leclerc, who grew up in an apartment adjacent to the circuit. These are his streets. So far luck has deserted him, with a suspension issue halting his charge in F2 in 2017 and a brake failure 12 months ago leaving his Sauber cannoning into Brendon Hartley’s Toro Rosso. Now armed with a front-running car, of sorts, can he mount a challenge?
Will the weather add a curveball?
A visit to the French Riviera in spring is usually accompanied by warm weather and sun-kissed days. But perhaps not this year. Last weekend was a grim one in the Principality and the forecast for the upcoming one is only slightly better. Temperatures are only set to creep above the mid-teens while a risk of showers is forecast for when it matters – in qualifying and the race. That would throw a spanner into the works for teams at a venue where consistency and fine conditions are favoured. When rain strikes Monaco it can cause an upset. In 1996 Olivier Panis stunned the field by triumphing at a crash-littered race while the most two recent rain-hit Monaco Grands Prix (2008, ‘16) resulted in Lewis Hamilton picking up the pieces. There’s no better spectacle than a dry-weather balls-to-the-wall Monaco qualifying session, but we won’t complain if a sprinkling of water shakes up the order a little.
A vital period for Renault?
Renault has had a wretched start to the season. Instead of Ricciardo’s revival being the catalyst for its propulsion towards the front the presence of the Australian has brought more attention onto the manufacturer – and the headlines aren’t positive. Renault heads to Monaco eighth in the Constructors’ Championship, four places lower than the bare minimum spot it should hold, and with just two points finishes from 10 attempts. Ricciardo’s arrival means it now has a driver who commanded Monaco’s streets 12 months ago and historically has been electric at the circuit. It is Formula 1’s blue riband event and success in Monaco transcends beyond the bubble in which the championship sometimes operates. Big bosses go to Monaco – and it is the first of a trio of Francophone events for Formula 1, culminating in a visit to Paul Ricard, a hugely important event for Renault. No-one has yet got a stranglehold on the midfield, meaning fourth is still very much achievable for Renault, but it needs to start regaining lost ground to prove its belief that its current form is merely a blip in an overall upward trend.
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