The Mexican was the best timed by Red Bull in the two free practices and was only surpassed by Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz of Ferrari
Formula One F1 – Monaco Grand Prix – Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo, Monaco – May 27, 2022 Red Bull’s Sergio Perez in action during practice REUTERS/Benoit Tessier
The first on-track activities of the Great Monaco Awardin the 2022 Formula 1 season with the completion of the first and second free practice sessions. The Mexican Sergio Pérez had an outstanding presentation in which he stood out for having finished second and third place, both times ahead of his teammatein Red Bull Racing and current world champion, Max Verstappen.
In the first session of the day, Checo was barely surpassed by the man who makes local this weekend, the Monegasque Charles Leclerc with his Ferrari. In the second practice, both single-seaters from the Italian team were clearly superior and took the first two places with more than three tenths of an advantage over their closest pursuer, that is, Pérez.
“In general, it seems that we lack a bit compared to the Ferraris because they seem very strong. We’ll analyze the data and see what we can do, but they seem to be very fast today.We were a bit surprised by the difference with them today. We expected a difference, but not as big as what we have seen today, which means that there is a lot of work to do and we will see tomorrow”, commented the Mexican at the end of the day.
RB18 of Sergio Pérez, at the Monaco Circuit. Photo: @redbullracing
FP1
The first test on the asphalt of Monte Carlo saw a close battle between Ferrari and Red Bull. On a circuit that seems to make him comfortable, Leclerc set the best time of the session by stopping the stopwatch at 1:14.531. Just 0.039 seconds later, Checo was located and behind the Spanish Carlos Sainz aboard the second F1-75. Verstappen finished fourth. Among the four drivers there was a difference of less than two tenths. Already further away, it was Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo, both from McLaren, the best of the rest.
FP2
In the second free practice, the Italian team took a step forward. The ScuderiaHe clearly had a better performance with his two drivers setting times with a difference of more than three tenths with the rest. Pérez and Verstappen completed the quartet with the fastest times, but both felt dissatisfied with their performance. The session was marked by the spectacular accident of Ricciardo who, losing control of his car, crashed into the protective walls twice.
“If we achieve a better balance, we will be able to attack the corners a little more and, of course, our times will improve. It’s clear that compared to Ferrari, we still have to find more pace, so now it’s about fine-tuning and finding a better balance. The track feels different this year with the new cars, the cars are a bit heavier and slower and a bit bumpier because they are stiffer,” reigning champion Verstappen said.
Sergio Pérez with a special helmet for the Grand Prix de Monaco 2022. Photo: @SChecoPerez
On the second day of activities, the last training session will take place and later the qualifying session, where the starting order for Sunday’s grid will be decided . In his most recent performance in Monaco, in 2021, Checo Pérez started from ninth place after not performing in the best way in the pre-race phase. However, he had an important recovery in competition and obtained the final fourth place, his second best historical time on the Monte Carlo Circuit.
Schedules (with respect to the center of Mexico):< /h2>
Third free practice sessions: Saturday, May 28 at 06:00.
Session of classification: Saturday, May 28 at 09:00.
Race: Sunday, May 29 at 08:00.