Thursday, May 20, 2021
F1 training: Schumacher crash
Ferrari surprisingly steals the show from everyone
Formula 1 rubs its eyes: Charles Leclerc drives the fastest time in free practice at the Monaco Grand Prix in a Ferrari. World Cup candidates Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen follow closely behind. Sebastian Vettel is in the top 10, youngster Mick Schumacher in the guardrail.
Hamilton and Verstappen on eye level – but behind Ferrari: In free practice for the Monaco Grand Prix, record world champion Lewis Hamilton decided the duel of the title favorites by seven thousandths against challenger Max Verstappen in Red Bull. The duo was surprisingly beaten by Ferrari with local hero Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz. Mick Schumacher paid the hardship.
The 22-year-old, who previously only knew the track from Formula 2, was last in the Haas, 2.732 seconds behind the leaders. Shortly before the end of the second session, the 22-year-old deviated from the ideal line and hit the guardrail with his rear tire. After that, his working day was over.
The son of record world champion Michael Schumacher could not fully fill his good intentions with life. “It’s important to drive as much as possible. The best time doesn’t help if you’re on the wall two laps later,” the 22-year-old said on Wednesday. In the total of 120 minutes he managed 60 laps in the Haas, which is a good three quarters of the race distance.
“Ferrari is very strong here, that surprised me”
Leclerc did better. The native of Monegasse, who had never seen the checkered flag in Formula 2 or Formula 1 in his home country, set the fastest time of the day in 1: 11.684 minutes ahead of Sainz (0.112). Mercedes star Hamilton (+0.390) and Verstappen (+0.397) followed. In the World Cup, record champion Hamilton is the Dutchman before the fifth race of the season on Sunday (3 p.m. / in the live ticker on ntv.de.) by 14 points ahead. “This track is always mesmerizing. You always have to learn to run before you run,” said Hamilton: “Ferrari is very strong here, that surprised me. But that’s great, it means more competition.”
Sebastian Vettel continued his gentle upward trend, the four-time world champion from Heppenheim reached tenth place in the Aston Martin (+1.298) and distanced his Canadian teammate Lance Stroll by a little more than two tenths – despite minor problems. “I have something in mind,” Vettel radioed several times to his box. Overall, however, it seems to be gradually coming together with its AMR21.
The teams now have an unusually long time to draw the right conclusions. In Monaco, Formula 1 traditionally pauses on Friday, but qualifying on Saturday (3 p.m. / in the live ticker on ntv.de.) all the more serious: Because overtaking is hardly possible on the narrow and winding track, a good starting position is decisive for victory. In the last 20 Monaco races, the eventual winner started 16 times from first or second place and four times from third place.
Red Bull lived up to its role as favorites in the first free practice session. In the test run for the fifth race of the season, Sergio Perez set the fastest time in 1: 12.487 minutes ahead of Ferrari driver Sainz (+0.119 seconds). World championship challenger Verstappen, who, unlike his team-mate Perez, did without the softest set of tires, finished third (+0.161) in the first run. World champion Hamilton entered his Mercedes in fifth place (+0.508), but like Verstappen, the Briton initially did not participate in the hunt for top times.
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