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A dire weekend for McLaren at the Canadian Grand Prix isn’t expected to get better in two weeks time at the Monaco Grand Prix.
Coming into the weekend, Lando Norris insisted McLaren didn’t care about Mercedes and the upgrades they would be bringing to Montreal.
However, the weekend did not pan out the way McLaren had hoped at all, with them struggling to match Mercedes’ pace.
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After seeing their front wing upgrade not deliver results during FP1, McLaren reverted back to their old front wing ahead of sprint qualifying to try and get the most out of the weekend.
But their dire performance during the Canadian Grand Prix on Sunday was only made worse when Andrea Stella saw Ferrari’s data, and came to an unfortunate conclusion.
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Andrea Stella explains the advantage he saw from Ferrari that will help at the Monaco GP
Speaking to media, including Auto, Motor, und Sport, after the Canadian Grand Prix, McLaren team principal Andrea Stella explained what he saw from Ferrari’s GPS data that concerns him ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix.
In particular, Ferrari’s speed in medium and high-speed corners showed him that they would thrive on a track like Monaco, which features very few straights and far more corners.
“Looking at the GPS data, it’s clear that Ferrari is very competitive in the corners. We saw that here in Montreal in the first sector. It’s also crucial to get over the kerbs well.
“Ferrari loses most of its time on the straights. But there aren’t many of those in Monaco. That’s why Lando is right to see Ferrari as the favourite for pole position in Monaco.”
“With so many hard braking points, the drivers won’t have any problems charging their batteries there. It will feel more natural to them again. For the cars, however, it will be a completely new challenge. That will be interesting.”
“In its current state of development, the McLaren is better suited to slow corners than to medium and high-speed corners. Ferrari and Mercedes have the advantage there. That should put us in a good position for Monaco.”
“But Monaco also has a few faster stretches. You can drive along the Casino at 150 km/h, through Tabac at 180 km/h, and we reach more than 200 km/h at the swimming pool. So medium and high-speed driving skills are also in demand in Monaco.”
READ MORE: Charles Leclerc commends Lewis Hamilton’s ‘incredible’ performance at Canadian Grand Prix
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Ferrari picking up momentum at the right point in the season
With Lewis Hamilton picking up his second podium finish with Ferrari over the weekend, there is a sense that they’ve managed to turn a corner this season.
After the race, Hamilton suggested Ferrari’s reliability is a strength that other teams are not able to rely upon when push comes to shove.
With this uptick in momentum, there is a belief that Hamilton can get his first Ferrari win in Monaco in two weeks’ time.
There is an excitement in the air among Ferrari fans, as the team showed signs of life after two straight race weekends where they didn’t perform at the level needed to find success.
If they can parlay this momentum into a winning weekend at the Monaco Grand Prix, there would be no denying that Ferrari are a serious threat to Mercedes’ dominance this season.
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