Cloudy. Dry. Air +25…27С, track +47…51С
In Monaco, almost everything depends on qualifying, and in qualifying, almost everything depends on downforce. For 2022 cars, it is mostly generated by the bottom with the help of the “ground effect”, which requires a minimum height and hard suspension settings.
In Monaco, these settings did not suit many. The problem is not that the riders felt literally every bump – at some point the car came off the track with the front wheels and became uncontrollable. The height of the suspension had to be increased in order to dampen these vibrations, and downforce also decreased, which affected the balance of power.
On Friday, Leclerc was in the lead at home practice, but on Saturday morning Perez set the fastest time, four hundredths ahead of Charles.
By the beginning of the qualification, the sky was covered with clouds, the asphalt was quickly cooling down. The grip has deteriorated. The session turned out to be the coolest during the weekend, and on the day of the race it will be even colder.
In the first session the riders stretched out across the track and worked in series of laps trying to get the tires into range and avoid traffic.
At 2.25 before the end of the session, red flags appeared. Yuki Tsunoda hit the barrier in the chicane following the tunnel and returned to the pits with a puncture. After a short pause, the riders left once more. There was a crowd at the exit from the pit lane – everyone tried to get a free seat in front of them, as a result, not everyone had time for a quick lap. Leclerc, Sainz, Russell, Verstappen and Perez abandoned the attempt.
The best time was shown by Charles Leclerc – 1:12.569. Albon, Gasley, Stroll, Latifi and Zhou dropped out of the fight.
In the second session the riders used the same scenario, alternating between fast and slow laps. Many started the session on rolled tires, leaving a fresh set for a second try.
Charles Leclerc was the first lap of the weekend to go faster than 1:12, leading the scoresheet in the first attempt with 1:11.864.
In the second attempt, Perez almost repeated the result of Leclerc, losing nine hundredths, but no one might surpass him. Tsunoda, Bottas, Magnussen, Ricciardo and Schumacher did not qualify for the final.
In the final Leclerc was the first to go on a fast lap – and completed it in 1:11.376, ahead of his partner and the Red Bull drivers by two tenths. Russell cut the chicane and the lap was annulled.
In the second attempt, Leclerc drove even faster, but red flags appeared – the cars of Sainz and Perez stopped in front of the entrance to the tunnel, blocking the track. First, Sergio turned around, then Carlos turned around in the same place, who crashed into Perez’s stationary car. The riders were not hurt.
Crashed the car and Alonso – at the exit of the fifth turn. Thirty seconds remained until the end of the qualification, the session was not resumed.
.jpg "Charles Leclerc won the Monaco qualification with his 14th career pole and fifth of the season")
Charles Leclerc won the Monaco qualification with his 14th career pole and fifth of the season. The second time was shown by Carlos Sainz – Ferrari has the second this year the entire first row of the starting field. Perez and Verstappen start second, Norris and Russell start third.
Qualification results
| Pilot | Team | 1 session | 2 sessions | 3 sessions | ||||||
| M | Time | Cr | M | Time | Cr | M | Time | Cr | ||
| 1. Sh.Lekler | Ferrari | 1 | 1:12.569 | 9 | 1 | 1:11.864 | 9 | 1 | 1:11.376 | 6 |
| 2. K. Sainz | Ferrari | 2 | 1:12.616 | 9 | 3 | 1:12.074 | 11 | 2 | 1:11.601 | 5 |
| 3. C.Perez | Red Bull | 7 | 1:13.004 | 9 | 2 | 1:11.954 | 9 | 3 | 1:11.629 | 7 |
| 4. M. Verstappen | Red Bull | 6 | 1:12.993 | 9 | 4 | 1:12.117 | 9 | 4 | 1:11.666 | 7 |
| 5. L. Norris | McLaren | 5 | 1:12.927 | 12 | 5 | 1:12.266 | 8 | 5 | 1:11.849 | 7 |
| 6. D. Russell | Mercedes | 3 | 1:12.787 | 11 | 9 | 1:12.617 | 9 | 6 | 1:12.112 | 7 |
| 7. F. Alonso | Alpine | 12 | 1:13.394 | 11 | 10 | 1:12.688 | 6 | 7 | 1:12.247 | 5 |
| 8. L. Hamilton | Mercedes | 13 | 1:13.444 | 12 | 7 | 1:12.595 | 10 | 8 | 1:12.560 | 7 |
| 9. S. Vettel | Aston Martin | 10 | 1:13.313 | 12 | 8 | 1:12.613 | 9 | 9 | 1:12.732 | 7 |
| 10. E. Okon | Alpine | 4 | 1:12.848 | 11 | 6 | 1:12.528 | 6 | 10 | 1:13.047 | 5 |
| 11. Yu. Tsunoda | AlphaTauri | 9 | 1:13.110 | 10 | 11 | 1:12.797 | 10 | |||
| 12. V. Bottas | Alfa Romeo | 15 | 1:13.541 | 9 | 12 | 1:12.909 | 8 | |||
| 13. K. Magnussen | Haas | 8 | 1:13.069 | 11 | 13 | 1:12.921 | 9 | |||
| 14. D. Riccardo | McLaren | 11 | 1:13.338 | 12 | 14 | 1:12.964 | 9 | |||
| 15. M. Schumacher | Haas | 14 | 1:13.469 | 10 | 15 | 1:13.081 | 7 | |||
| 16. A. Elbon | Williams | 16 | 1:13.611 | 14 | ||||||
| 17. P.Gasley | AlphaTauri | 17 | 1:13.660 | 10 | ||||||
| 18. L.Stroll | Aston Martin | 18 | 1:13.678 | 11 | ||||||
| 19. N. Latifi | Williams | 19 | 1:14.403 | 13 | ||||||
| 20. Mr. Zhou | Alfa Romeo | 20 | 1:15.606 | 9 | ||||||
