Can Leclerc crush his curse? F1 Monaco GP 2022 Preview

Monaco, the jewel in the Formula One crown. One of the most historic tracks on the calendar and notoriously difficult for a number of reasons. This weekend F1 hosts arguably the race it is most known for and considering how detrimental even one small mistake could be, things could flip very quickly.

Charles Leclerc, the driver from Monaco is still yet to have success at the Monaco grand prix. As he has not finished a single one, he started in F1, and this even goes back to F2 in 2017 where he suffered two DNF’s, in the sprint race and feature race. 2018 he had a brake failure causing a crash down towards the chicane after the tunnel. In 2019 he suffered a puncture and caused a lot of damage to his car meaning he was not able to continue. Then last year he did not even get to start because of crash in qualifying that caused an issue to the gearbox. Could we see Leclerc break this run of non-finishes and seemingly never-ending curse?

Alpine have had some good results this season and after the Spanish GP where race pace was good, they will be looking for another positive result this weekend. They brought upgrades last weekend, and have done so again this weekend, this time for the floor. Even with the upgrades though, they will need to qualify better than they did in Spain to have a better chance at another double points finish. With Alpine only 5 points behind Alfa Romeo in the championship, a good double points finish could see them slide up in to fifth.

Someone who has had success in the past years but seems to be struggling this season is Daniel Ricciardo. Ricciardo has only picked up 11 points this season while team-mate Lando Norris has picked up 39 points. At times Ricciardo has struggled to find the pace Norris can in the McLaren. The last time Ricciardo picked up points was in Australia, since then it has been disappointing. But can Monaco help him find some of the pace that is still there but has not been seen much so far this season.

With Red Bull winning the last three races, and two of them being 1-2 finishes, they are looking very strong, even with Ferrari’s struggles. Can Ferrari bounce back and gain their first win in Monaco since 2017? Or will Red Bull continue their early form and push the gap to Ferrari even more in the championship? Will Mercedes pull off a shock and put themselves in a winning position? Whatever happens, it will certainly be interesting to find out.

Source: https://cdn-1.motorsport.com/images/amp/YpN8dgM0/s1000/max-verstappen-red-bull-racing.jpg

Red Bull take advantage of Ferrari issues. F1 Spanish GP 2022 Review & Results

In an eventful Spanish Grand Prix, the title battle takes another turn as Red Bull take a 1-2 while Ferrari have their own issues to figure out. Mercedes seems to have found some pace again which could propel them back to the top.

The start had Carlos Sainz have a bad start from third causing him to lose places and only ended up just ahead of Lewis Hamilton. Kevin Magnussen into turn 4, tried a move on the outside on Hamilton, they collided, it caused Hamilton to have a puncture. Magnussen did not fair well either as he went off into the gravel and dropped down the order quickly, as did Hamilton.

George Russell got himself up to third, Sergio Perez up to fourth and Sainz fifth. Leclerc got away well enough to keep the lead over Max Verstappen. Notable jumps up the order were Fernando Alonso making up five places, Mick Schumacher making up four places and Esteban Ocon making up three. Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo also made up a place each.

Ocon who was having good pace showed it on lap five, got past Ricciardo for eighth. Then the following lap he overtook Schumacher for seventh.

Sebastian Vettel running in thirteenth, Alonso was attempting to overtake on lap six, did not get past, but lap seven he got by his former rival to get himself up into thirteenth.

Lap seven Sainz went off going into turn 4, which was said to be caused by a big wind that was around turn 4. He dropped down to eleventh. Only a couple of laps later the same thing happened to Verstappen who went off, he lost two places to Russell and his team-mate Perez.

Lap ten and Norris passes Ricciardo for ninth, with Ricciardo seemingly struggling again this season, not having the pace of Norris.

Ricciardo may not have had the pace, but Norris did, and he got up into eighth by passing Schumacher who was having a good race in his own right.

Pierre Gasly went and pitted on lap ten, along with Zhou Guanyu, Alonso and Sainz. All drivers switched to medium tyres.

Ricciardo kept dropping down the order as Yuki Tsunoda overtook him on lap eleven. Both drivers pit the next lap.

Two laps later, Russell and Verstappen pitted together, Verstappen still struggling to get by the Mercedes.

On the same lap, Sainz overtook his former team-mate Norris for eighth, climbing back up the order after his spin earlier.

In a continued stern defence of second that Russell occupied, managed to hold off Verstappen again and again. Verstappen did have some issues with DRS and almost got past on a couple of occasion but was not able to.

Perez went and pitted on lap eighteen who eventually caught up again to Russell and Verstappen.

Sainz, continuing his rise up the order passes Vettel for seventh, Vettel being yet to pit.

End of lap twenty-one, Leclerc pits and comes back out in the lead and looked comfortable. Vettel also pit on the same lap.

Lap twenty-four and Verstappen attempted a dive down the inside on Russell, Russell defended the move well and stayed ahead of Verstappen in a battle that went through to turn 4.

In an event that had huge implications for the race and the championship, on lap twenty-seven, Leclerc had a mechanical issue that took him out of the race and forced him to retire from the race. Meaning Russell took over the lead, with Verstappen and Perez behind.

There was also a collision on the same lap, Gasly and Stroll collided, caused Stroll to spin and he lost four places.

Two laps after Leclerc’s retirement from the race, Verstappen pitted for soft tyres. His team-mate Perez took the lead from Russell on lap thirty-one. Giving Red Bull a huge advantage going into the second half of the race. Zhou also retired on the same lap.

Verstappen up to third passing Valtteri Bottas on lap thirty-two, with an amazing overtake around turn 12.

The next few laps had drivers pitting again with Sainz on lap thirty-two, Norris on lap thirty-four, Bottas the next lap, Russell on lap thirty-seven, then Perez the lap after.

Lap thirty-nine Norris overtook Vettel, Alonso then took ninth after Vettel pitted again onto the mediums.

Verstappen pits lap forty-five going onto another set of mediums, with Verstappen 6 seconds behind Perez who was still leading.

Lap forty-six Sainz pit again this time for softs, he came out in seventh. Vettel also passed Gasly for thirteenth.

On lap forty-nine Verstappen took the lead from Perez, even though team orders played a part.

Hamilton after his early race incident was back up in the top ten and going after sixth, and lap fifty-one, he overtook Ocon. The following lap, his team-mate pit for a new set of soft tyres. Norris also pit on lap fifty-two and came out tenth. Lap fifty-four Russell got back up to third.

Alonso pit again for softs, came out in tenth, and then on lap fifty-six overtook Schumacher for ninth. On the same lap both Sainz and Hamilton were closing down on Bottas for the last part of the race. The following lap Tsunoda passes Schumacher for tenth.

On lap fifty-eight Bottas, Sainz and Hamilton were all within a couple of seconds of each other. Sainz ended up getting past Bottas and Hamilton overtook him a couple of corners later. The sent Bottas down to sixth.

Lap sixty and Vettel got by Schumacher for eleventh, same lap and Hamilton passed Sainz for fourth. A few laps later, Hamilton started having cooling issues causing him to be slower, and Sainz got back into fourth a lap before the end.

Verstappen wins the Spanish Grand Prix with Perez behind in second for a Red Bull 1-2. Russell grabbed third for another good finish for the Mercedes driver. Sainz finished fourth in his home GP, Hamilton held on to fifth while Bottas in another great showing finished sixth. Ocon, Norris, Alonso and Tsunoda finished out the top ten.

Vettel missed out finishing eleventh, Ricciardo again with a poor showing again. Gasly, Schumacher and Stroll in thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth. Latifi, Magnussen, and Albon completed the finishers in the race.

Regarding the championship, Red Bull take the lead of both championships. Verstappen is now 6 points ahead of Leclerc at the top of the driver’s championship. Perez is in third 25 points behind his team-mate, with Russell and Sainz in fourth and fifth.

With Ferrari’s struggles this weekend, Red Bull now have a 26-point lead over Ferrari. Mercedes continues to sit in third comfortably. McLaren stay fourth ahead of Alfa Romeo with an 11-point gap, Alpine being only 5 points behind Alfa Romeo. Alpha Tauri and Haas occupy seventh and eighth, only 2 points apart, while Aston Martin still sit in ninth on 6 points, with Williams on 3 points at the bottom.

With a big stage in the season coming up and Monaco being the next race weekend, it will be crucial to be as high up as possible. Ferrari will want to bounce back with a win, and Red Bull will look to continue their winning streak going into Monaco. Will Mercedes show some surprises in Monaco? Next weekend is going to be worth a look around the historic track that is Monaco.

F1 Spanish GP 2022 Race Results

1 - Max Verstappen (Red Bull)

2 - Sergio Perez (Red Bull)

3 - George Russell (Mercedes)

4 - Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)

5 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)

6 - Valtteri Bottas (Alfa Romeo)

7 - Esteban Ocon (Alpine)

8 - Lando Norris (McLaren)

9 - Fernando Alonso (Alpine)

10 - Yuki Tsunoda (Alpha Tauri)

11 - Sebastian Vettel (Aston Martin)

12 - Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren)

13 - Pierre Gasly (Aphla Tauri)

14 - Mick Schumacher (Haas)

15 - Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)

16 - Nicholas Latifi (Williams)

17 - Kevin Magnussen (Haas)

18 - Alex Albon (Williams)

NC - Zhou Guanyu (Alfa Romeo)

NC - Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)

Source: https://images.hgmsites.net/hug/2022-formula-1-spanish-grand-prix_100842295_h.jpg

Leclerc pole as Mercedes see improvement. F1 Spanish GP 2022 Review & Results

Back in Europe for the Spanish Grand Prix and after qualifying it sets up the race to be interesting. Historically it has been a track that has been difficult to overtake on, but with these 2022 cars that make following easier, it will be an interesting watch.

Zhou Guanyu starts Q1 off by setting the pace, Yuki Tsunoda and Pierre Gasly go just behind. Tsunoda had his lap deleted for track limits violation.

Red Bull sent their drivers out early, Sergio Perez went fastest, only to be topped by Max Verstappen soon after. Ferrari then topped Red Bull and went 1-2 with Carlos Sainz then Charles Leclerc. Lando Norris went just behind Perez in fifth.

Valtteri Bottas with a good lap went fourth, ahead of Perez. The Mercedes duo of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell then went fourth and fifth respectively, just ahead of Bottas.

Zhou then sets another lap and goes eighth ahead of Norris. The rest that was ahead of the elimination zone were Esteban Ocon, Kevin Magnussen, Fernando Alonso. Then Tsunoda, Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo. Gasly, Alex Albon, Lance Stroll, Mick Schumacher, and Nicholas Latifi were all in the elimination zone.

Last runs saw Haas drivers Schumacher and Magnussen go into eighth and fifth respectively. Stroll stayed down in the bottom five, Gasly up to eleventh, Ricciardo goes tenth. Alonso was not able to improve and was eliminated.

Drivers that ended up being eliminated were Vettel, Alonso, Stroll, Albon, and Latifi.

On to Q2 and Mercedes set the pace with Russell and Hamilton. Schumacher goes behind the Mercedes but in front of both Alpha Tauri’s.

Ocon went just behind Schumacher, Norris then splits them, Magnussen then beat them all going third just before Perez took third from him.

Zhou goes into ninth, then 10th with Bottas going fourth, Sainz slotting into fifth, Leclerc then going fourth and Verstappen only just behind Bottas in sixth.

Last runs in Q2 all except Leclerc, Hamilton and Russell went out for final runs of the session.

Sainz goes fastest, Schumacher with no improvement left him on the cusp of elimination.

Gasly only got to thirteenth, Tsunoda went twelfth, Zhou stayed fifteenth. Ricciardo up to ninth, Norris went seventh, however the time did not stick because of a track limits violation, his time was deleted, this meant he was put down to eleventh and Schumacher was promoted up to tenth making it through to Q3.

Drivers eliminated were Norris, Ocon, Tsunoda, Gasly and Zhou.

The beginning of Q3 had both Haas cars set their times on used tyres, then Hamilton set the pace. Russell, Verstappen, Sainz and Perez all beat his time.

Leclerc had his lap ruined as he spun at the penultimate corner, Bottas and Ricciardo went sixth and seventh.

Final runs came and Leclerc got a lap done and went quickest, Verstappen cited power loss on his lap meaning he did not finish his lap and lost out on a potential pole.

Russell had a good lap that put him up to fourth, Sainz got himself up to third, Perez went fifth, Hamilton sixth. Followed by Bottas, Magnussen, Ricciardo and Schumacher.

In a qualifying session that mixed up the top six, it could be an interesting result, especially after practice where Ferrari seemingly were slower on their race runs than Red Bull and Mercedes. So maybe during the race Mercedes could be fighting Red Bull this time around. But historically third place on the grid has an advantage with the slipstream down to turn 1, so could we see Sainz in the lead out of turn 1 at his home race? Nevertheless, could be an interesting watch.

Spanish GP Qualifying Results

1 – Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) 2 – Max Verstappen (Red Bull) 3 – Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) 4 – George Russell (Mercedes) 5 – Sergio Perez (Red Bull) 6 – Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) 7 – Valtteri Bottas (Alfa Romeo) 8 – Kevin Magnussen (Haas) 9 – Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren) 10 – Mick Schumacher (Haas) 11 – Lando Norris (McLaren) 12 – Esteban Ocon (Alpine) 13 – Yuki Tsunoda (Alpha Tauri) 14 – Pierre Gasly (Alpha Tauri) 15 – Zhou Guanyu (Alfa Romeo) 16 – Sebastian Vettel (Aston Martin) 17 – Fernando Alonso (Alpine) 18 – Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) 19 – Alex Albon (Williams) 20 – Nicholas Latifi (Williams)

Source: https://www.lautosports.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Spanish-Grand-Prix-2022.jpg