Monaco Grand Prix 2023 reside updates: Highlights, errors, and extra from free follow 2

The groups are headed again to the grid for the second free follow session prematurely of the 2023 Monaco Grand Prix, hoping to use the teachings discovered within the first follow earlier on Friday.

That session noticed Carlos Sainz Jr. of Ferrari paved the way, adopted by Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton. Championship chief Max Verstappen, who appeared to be battling the setup of his RB19, positioned seventh within the morning’s follow session.

Sergio Pérez, Verstappen’s Crimson Bull teammate, and Charles Leclerc rounded out the highest 5 from the morning session.

Leclerc is hoping to lastly break by means of with a victory in Monaco, driving the streets the place he grew up. Leclerc’s bitter Monaco historical past is nicely documented, however with Ferrari’s one-lap tempo this 12 months wanting sturdy, there’s a good probability he may very nicely be on pole come Sunday, with an opportunity to lastly win at dwelling.

The 2023 Monaco Grand Prix is about for Sunday, and right here is all the pieces it’s good to know to observe. Till then, we’ll have you ever lined with a reside rundown of the second follow session.

Earlier than we get underway for FP2, listed below are some moments from FP1 earlier right this moment. First we see Nico Hülkenberg undergo a puncture to his left rear:

After which this from Alex Albon which introduced FP1 to an early shut, as he loses the rear popping out of Flip 1:

Within the pre-practice present on F1TV Will Buxton made the purpose that the primary follow session, which noticed the Ferrari duo of Sainz and Leclerc within the prime 5, was run with all groups on each the laborious or the medium tyres. Whereas which may converse considerably to race tempo, in Monaco qualifying is the ballgame, so we are going to study rather more when the groups take to the streets with the gentle tyres.

Sam Collins, again within the F1TV studio, walked by means of the upgrades that Mercedes has delivered to Monaco, that includes “typical” sidepods, which he in comparison with what we see this 12 months from Alpine and Aston Martin.

Collins additionally famous that Mercedes “could possibly be good” within the Monaco Grand Prix because of the modifications to their W14.

Mercedes is just not the one staff with some new parts for Monaco. On this video from Haas, Matteo Piraccini walks viewers by means of a number of the modifications they’ve made:

Earlier than we go inexperienced, let’s simply take a second to understand the scenes from Monaco:

And now FP2 is underway, however not for Albon. The staff remains to be doing work on Albon’s automobile after his late crash in FP1.

FP2 begins with each staff however for Ferrari on the medium tyres. Leclerc and Sainz are working on the laborious compound.

After the primary set of occasions, Verstappen is atop the timing sheets, adopted by Alonso, Hamilton, Russell, Lance Stroll, Yuki Tsunoda, Leclerc, Kevin Magnussen, Oscar Piastri, and Esteban Ocon rounding out the highest ten.

In the meantime, Buxton is reporting from Lando Norris’s storage that some intensive work is being completed to Norris’s MCL60, suggesting that the “frantic” work being completed makes it appear something however routine.

Ten minutes into the session, Hamilton powers to the highest of the desk with a lap time of 1:13.984.

Perhaps Gino. Perhaps.

quarter-hour into the follow session, the highest 5 is presently Verstappen, Alonso, Sainz, Hamilton and Ocon. Nonetheless, one would possibly contemplate that Benefit: Ferrari, provided that Sainz posted his time on the laborious compound, whereas the opposite 4 all posted their occasions on the medium tyre.

So that you need to be an F1 driver:

We additionally have to take a second and recognize the lid Valtteri Bottas is bringing to the grid. this week:

F1TV cuts again to Collins within the studio, and the Motorsport Engineering Journalist walks us by means of the modifications Alpine has delivered to the observe this week. The staff has modified the sidepod, following the lead of Aston Martin.

Given what Aston Martin and the AMR23 have completed this season, that’s most likely not a nasty concept.

Talking of Aston Martin, on the 36-minute mark Alonso posts a lap time of 1:12.786, pushing him to the highest of the desk. Many imagine that this could possibly be the week the place Alonso grabs his elusive thirty third profession F1 victory.

Of be aware, that lap got here on the gentle compound. Bottas posts a lap on the softs as nicely which pushes him into P3 for the second

There was a scary second second later with Russell popping out of the tunnel and down in the direction of the tough Nouvelle Chicane. Russell needed to dip off the observe to keep away from working into the again of Alonso, which triggered this radio relay from the Aston Martin driver to his staff:

On the midway mark, right here is the present prime ten:

Sainz
Alonso
Ocon
Stroll
Russell
Hamilton
Verstappen
Bottas
Yuki Tsunoda
Pérez

Out of these ten, solely the Crimson Bull duo of Verstappen and Pérez are on the medium tyres. The opposite eight all posted their occasions on the gentle compound.

Leclerc turns in an amazing lap across the 28-minute mark, pushing himself into the highest three:

With their preliminary run on the gentle tyres, Verstappen goes into P3, and Pérez into P5:

In case you thought this is able to be the weekend had been Crimson Bull could be susceptible, which may help that place.

Listed below are the highest eight with about 26 minutes left:

In the meantime, with about 24 minutes left within the session, Albon remains to be within the storage because the staff at Williams continues to work on his automobile.

Leclerc across the 23-minute mark radios into his staff that the entrance finish of his SF-23 is “leaping” round a bit.

Welcome to the observe Alex!

Oh wait, Verstappen posts a 1:121.462 with 21 minutes to go to take himself to the entrance of the sphere. Loss of life, taxes, and Verstappen on the entrance.

Alonso appears dialed in:

Additionally, I’m right here for Quick and Livid: Alonso Drift:

Is it time to speak about Norris? With beneath 20 minutes to go, Norris sits P5, regardless of lacking a while at the beginning of the session.

Is that this only a shameless alternative to plug my one-on-one interview with Norris from a couple of weeks in the past? Maybe …

And a little bit of a shocker! With beneath 17 minutes left the crimson flag is out as Sainz is into the wall close to the swimming pool sector.

“Yeah I crashed, sorry,” was the radio message from Sainz into his staff.

Right here is the highest six as FP2 resumes:

With simply over eight minutes to go Norris is advised to “decrease all throttle” and abort his lap. So, there’s that.

As an apart, seeing the drivers wrestle with the Nouvelle Chicane makes me really feel rather a lot higher about my varied makes an attempt at navigating Monaco on F1 2022.

Again to actuality.

With two minutes left in FP2 it appears to be like like this would be the prime ten:

Verstappen: 1:12.462
Leclerc: +0.065
Sainz: +0.107
Alonso: +0.220
Norris: +0.444
Hamilton: +0.498
Pérez: +0.529
Bottas: +0.588
Gasly: +0.627
Ocon: +0.700

A yellow flag flies within the third sector as FP2 involves a detailed.

Right here is the complete classification:

Groups which have some work left to do embrace AlphaTauri, Haas, and Williams, as all three groups noticed their drivers within the backside of the pack.

Following the session Verstappen famous that he was “not likely glad” in FP1, however famous whereas he completed up prime in FP2, you’ll be able to see that Ferrari is “very very shut.”

“We want a bit extra to remain forward of them,” added Verstappen trackside when interviewed on F1TV.

Anyway, that ought to do it for right this moment’s FP2 session. Thanks, when you’ve got made it this far, for following together with the moment ramblings of a highly-caffeinated author. Maybe we’ll do that once more tomorrow for quali?