F1 Preview: Will Mercedes make history in Monaco?

No team in F1’s 69 year history and 1002 Grand Prix has scored six consecutive 1-2 finishes. McLaren in the late 1980s, Williams in the early 1990s, Ferrari in the early 2000s and even Mercedes themselves in the last few years have been unable to achieve such a feat.

Yet a 1-2 for Mercedes this weekend at the Monaco Grand Prix will mean that a new record has been set and the benchmark has risen again. Monte Carlo has not been the best hunting ground for Mercedes in recent years, definitely not when you compare it to the rest of the tracks on the F1 calendar. A pole position has alluded them since 2015 and pole position is extremely important at Monaco.

In fact, pole position has led the opening lap of the race at Monaco ever since 2002 meaning qualifying on Saturday is the most important qualifying session of the year. With this, comes lots of excitement with Saturday often being the most exciting day.

Seeing the cars go flat out in between the barriers on the narrow streets of Monte Carlo is breathtaking. It is unimaginable for any kind of vehicle to average over 100MPH but these 2019 Formula One beasts will do exactly that, millimetres away from a big crash. That is why Monaco is still so special.

One mistake and it is pretty much game (apart from the chicane following the tunnel which you can cut). Personally, my favourite section of the two mile circuit is the Swimming Pool chicane. It is very high speed and there is no room for error. After Tabac, you nail the throttle through the first part of the Swimming Pool chicane before you slow the car down for a medium speed chicane where you need to brush the front right tyre on the armco to carry the speed through the chicane.

Drivers have clipped the barrier there so often, at the exit and the entry as they try to get the fastest lap possible. Max Verstappen fell foul of this twice, both at pivotal moments: in 2016 he crashed in qualifying whilst teammate Daniel Ricciardo took pole position and last year he crashed in the final practice session which put him out of qualifying

It’s fair to say that Verstappen has not driven at his best at Monaco yet but he can make up for that this weekend with a special performance that could be good enough to beat the mighty Mercedes. After the season he has had so far, Verstappen is the best chance outside of Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas for the win and it would be great to see him take the fight to the Silver Arrows.

On the other hand, we have Ferrari who may be in for a tough weekend. So far, Ferrari are pretty poor in the slow speed corners compared to Mercedes with a lack of mechanical grip preventing the car to carry speed through the slower turns. Monaco is the slowest circuit of the year so Ferrari could be even further behind and might end up behind Red Bull if they have not found a solution to their weakness.

Charles Leclerc will be driving at home and will be looking to be the first Monegasque driver to stand on the podium in Monaco. Last year, his sole appearance ended in disaster after a brake failure sent him into the back of Brendon Hartley. He has been able to cope with the pressure relatively well so far and he will be looking to at least match teammate Sebastian Vettel who has generally gone well around Monaco – and street circuits in general.

The midfield battle is incredibly tough to predict. The drivers will make the final difference in Monaco, as it is a proper drivers track, so it may need a qualifying lap right on the limit to start in the top 10 and bring home some points.

It is Kimi Raikkonen’s 300th Grand Prix this weekend and he will be hoping for better after a disappointing round in Barcelona last time out. Alfa Romeo don’t wont to be consolidating their position at the back of the midfield and Monaco will provide a good opportunity to add to their points total.

Racing Point also struggled in Spain too but Sergio Perez be giving it everything to get into the top 10. He scored a surprise podium in 2016 and has shown excellent pace this year and as mentioned above, the driver can make a big difference at Monaco so expect him and the rest of the midfield to be right on the limit.

After the incredibly sad death of the three-time World Champion Niki Lauda during the early hours of Tuesday, there will be a slightly sombre mood in the paddock. His comeback after that horrific, shocking accident at the Nürburgring in 1976 is the greatest comeback in motorsport in my opinion. To return to the sport just six weeks later at Monza and take a 4th place is unbelievable.

I watched an interview Lauda gave at the end of 2017 which I find utterly fascinating and enthralling where he described the pain he had to go through when the doctors were trying to save his life and it is genuinely crazy what he experienced. He went though hell and came back from the dead really.

On the latest Monday Motorsport I mentioned that the term ‘Legend’ is used too often in sport but Niki Lauda is a true legend of Formula One, a straightforward, inspirational, man of steel. He is and always will be one of the most popular figures in motorsport and he will be greatly missed, but never forgotten.