Hamilton pinpoints the areas which he wants to improve for the remainder of the Monaco weekend
Seven-time Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton has expressed his satisfaction with the opening day of the Monaco Grand Prix, while also identifying areas for improvement as he bids to build on his promising start. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, driving in his home Grand Prix, set the fastest times in both free practice sessions, with Hamilton finishing third in the second session, just over a tenth of a second behind his teammate.
Despite his impressive performance, Leclerc’s day was not without incident, as he was involved in a scary moment during the first practice session. The Monegasque driver was unable to avoid running into Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin at the hairpin, resulting in a broken front wing. However, Leclerc was able to continue running and racked up valuable laps throughout the session.
In the second practice session, Leclerc set a benchmark time of 1m11.355s, with Hamilton finishing just behind him with a time of 1m11.460s. Both drivers spent the final part of the session running with a heavier fuel load in race trim, using the tyres from the start of the session.
Reflecting on his experiences on the opening day at Monte Carlo, Hamilton expressed his positivity about the day’s proceedings. “It’s been a positive day,” he said. “This track is always a challenge, but in the best way, and experiencing it in a Ferrari makes it even more special. We completed our programme and gathered a lot of useful data which we’ll continue working through tomorrow.”
Hamilton acknowledged that there is still room for improvement, particularly in terms of his driving. “The pace felt promising overall; however, there’s still time to find,” he noted. “I’m getting a good feeling from the car, and the balance is not bad, so I’m looking forward to building on this as the weekend goes on.”
When asked about specific areas for improvement, Hamilton highlighted his driving lines, braking, and subtle changes to the car. “There is more to find in my driving, in lines, in my braking,” he explained. “I got one tenth of a second just in Turn 1, for example. So, there are bits here and there, just throughout the lap. But the car, there are subtle changes we need to make, but I will not be making many changes at all.”
As the weekend progresses, Hamilton will be looking to build on his promising start and challenge Leclerc for the top spot on the podium. With the unique challenges of the Monaco circuit and the intense competition among the top teams, the battle for supremacy is set to be fierce.
