We get information about the GP of Monaco from the F1 data of the third Spanish sector

It requires a high level of downforce, an easily manageable chassis, excellent traction and good brakes.

And while on other tracks, aero efficiency can be the name of the game when the teams reduce downforce, it doesn’t matter in Monaco. Power is not critical either.

All of these factors mean that the competition order in Monaco can be very different compared to other venues, which is another level of intrigue for the F1 Blue Riband event.

But every year there is an indication of how things are going to play out.

It is the performance of cars through sector 3 of the Barcelona circuit, as the slow succession of corners and tight chicane reflect the demands of the streets of Monaco.

If you’re getting through sector 3 quickly in Spain, that’s usually a pretty good sign.

How did things go at the last GP in Spain? Here the fastest sector is three times for each car in qualifying.

1st Red Bull 26,295
2. Mercedes 26,400
3. Ferrari 26,580
4. Alpine 26,632
5. McLaren 26,782
6. AlphaTauri 26,827
7. Aston Martin 26,923
8. Williams 27,131
9. Alfa Romeo 27.164
10. Haas 27,311

For Red Bull, after two races in which it lost to Mercedes, the chances are good that its car will drive the fastest through S3.

Sergio Perez is certainly optimistic about what could be on the agenda for the RB16B in the streets of Monte Carlo.

“I’m really looking forward to Monaco, especially with this car,” said the Mexican. “I think we have a chance to win the race.”

Mercedes also believes things will be tipped in Red Bull’s favor, especially as Milton Keynes rivals appear to have a downforce advantage.

Andrew Shovlin, technical director at the trackside, said: “On paper I would probably say that it would suit Red Bull more than us.”

“We drove our maximum output wing and we saw it on your car on Friday [in Spain] but they didn’t drive it there so they could get a little more downforce. On paper, it probably is for them. “

Also read:

The battle behind the first two looks fascinating too, as McLaren, the season one ‘s “Best of the Rest” contestant, doesn’t appear to be as comfortable in the low-speed sector as Ferrari and Alpine.

Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz says it was certainly a good boost for the Maranello team that they looked so strong in S3.

“Obviously a good downforce in the final sector makes you feel good and you will be in good shape when you go to Monaco because you certainly prefer to be fast in sector three in Barcelona,” he said.

“At the same time, Monaco has many special features in terms of vehicle set-up and tire preparation for qualifying. The cars in Monaco are so different that the picture could change a little.”

McLaren may be of the opinion that the picture is undefined and believes that if the downforce is hit this weekend, the competitive picture may change.

Lando Norris said: “The big difference between Monaco and sector three in Spain is obviously that we operate the setup very differently in Spain.

“It’s a lot more focused on sector one and sector two with the high speed corners. And it’s exactly the opposite in Monaco, where there’s a lot more slow speed. We also drive the whole car a lot smoother because of the bumps and everything.

“I think the whole thing about the car is that a lot is changing. So it’s a pretty unexplored area for this car and so on.”

The other ultimate truth of Monaco is that it’s a weekend when drivers are flawless, no traffic in qualifying, have a well-tuned safety car and aren’t hit by bad luck. This can often be just as important as having a good car in the battle for victories.

As Shovlin says, “Even if you go there in the best car and have a great package, it’s still a terribly difficult race to win.”