Monaco Grand Prix: Practice Recap

MoneyGram Haas F1 Team drivers Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg kicked off FP1 on identical run plans, utilizing the Pirelli P Zero White hard tire. Both came into the pits for a front wing change to compare aero data, with lap times improving, a 1:14.527 and 1:15 072 was set by Hulkenberg and Magnussen respectively. A switch to the medium compound saw further progress before debris on track from Zhou Guanyu touching the barriers led to a brief red flag. With ten minutes left on the clock, Magnussen returned to track on a used set of hards while Hulkenberg remained on the medium compound to end the opening session.

Magnussen banked a 1:13.390 before the stoppage to place P14 at the checkered, while teammate Hulkenberg recorded a 1:13.576 to finish P16.

Both cars started FP2 with a baseline stint on medium tires. A return to the garage saw a switch onto soft rubber for quali sims. Magnussen subsequently clocked a fastest lap of 1:12.473 to land P13 on the timesheet as Hulkenberg saw a lap of 1:12.569 take him to P15. Drivers wrapped up Friday’s action with high-fuel runs, both finishing the day on used softs.

MoneyGram Haas F1 Team ran a total of 132 laps on Friday across FP1 and FP2 – 68 from Hulkenberg and 64 from Magnussen.

Nico Hulkenberg:

“It’s quite something – for the first few laps you’re just stunned at how impressive it is – how fast, how dynamic, and how challenging. That’s Friday in the bag, I think it was an okay day, there were no problems on our side. Performance-wise, it didn’t look too great where we slotted in but it’s all fine margins, so we need to squeeze a little bit more out overnight for tomorrow. The picture we have today, we’re a bit away from the top 10 at the moment, but it didn’t feel too bad from a balance point of view. It’s just lacking grip in some areas, so we’ll see what we can do.”

Kevin Magnussen:

“It’s incredibly tight as always, I say that all the time now, and this race is all about qualifying so it’s really important we get things right tomorrow. There’s a good rear in the car, the big rear wing is important here, but everyone came to Monaco with an extra high downforce wing. You’re just finding lap time all the time; the track is so bumpy and it’s just that much more intimidating driving around here. It requires bravery to really pull everything out of it and I don’t think anyone has done that yet. It’s very easy to go over the limit, and it’s very costly. I’d love a bit more pace of course, but we’ll see what we can do.”  

Ayao Komatsu, Team Principal:

“I think it’s been pretty similar to what we expected so far. I think overall in terms of the package we have for Monaco, it’s doing what it’s supposed to do but like I said earlier in the week, we just need to find a bit more from our car balance to be able to extract performance. We understand our long-run pace so I’m not too worried, but of course qualifying is everything here, so we need to find a slightly better balance.”


Today's Data:

Event: Free Practice 1 & 2 for the Monaco Grand Prix – Friday May 24
Location: Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo 
Layout: 3.337-kilometer (2.074-mile), 19-turn street circuit
FP1 & FP2 Weather:    Cloudy
Drivers: Nico Hulkenberg & Kevin Magnussen

Free Practice 1 (FP1) Rundown:

Magnussen: 14th overall (1:13.390), 33 laps 
Hulkenberg: 16th overall (1:13.576), 34 laps 
Fastest: Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes (1:12.169)

Free Practice 2 (FP2) Rundown:

Magnussen: 13th overall (1:12.473), 31 laps  
Hulkenberg: 15th overall (1:12.569), 34 laps
Fastest: Charles Leclerc of Scuderia Ferrari (1:11.278)