McLaren’s drivers are prepared for a challenging weekend in Monaco based on data from the previous round of the championship.
The tight and slow end sector on the Circuit de Catalunya is often viewed as a reliable indicator of vehicle performance on the winding Monaco circuit. Daniel Ricciardo admitted that McLaren’s performance at this track is not very good for her performance this weekend.
“Sector three was not an outstanding event for us,” he said last week, “and usually this is the ‘Monaco sector’, obviously Barcelona are always ahead of Monaco.”
“So we are aware that we will probably have to cut out our work for ourselves. But if we know a bit in advance, we might be able to think about other interior design ideas or things that will help us in Monaco. “
Ricciardo added that the confidence to push the car to its limits is particularly important. “As always, a good car helps, but Monaco is Monaco and if you have that comfort and confidence, I think you can always get a little more out of it. If that’s enough, time will tell. “
Lando Norris said the setup differences between the two tracks could mean McLaren will outperform the suggested sector times.
“The only big difference between Monaco and sector three in Spain is that we obviously operate the setup very differently in Spain,” he said. “It’s much more preferable[wards] Sector one in sector two with the high speed turns.
“It’s exactly the opposite of Monaco – a lot more low speed, a few high speeds – but you also drive a lot softer, the whole car, because of the bumps and so on. So I think the overall characteristics of the car will change a lot. So it’s a pretty unexplored area for this car and so on. “
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F1 season 2021
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