Monaco Grand Prix, F1 live: first practice – latest updates and times

It is perhaps the case that, because overtaking is so difficult, that it makes qualifying even more interesting and perhaps it does. Mercedes have their first significant upgrade package to the W14 and it is visually different, especially around the sidepods. I am not entirely sure we will get much of an uptick in performance for two reasons. 

One, because Monaco is not really like any other track and the update package will have been designed for it to go faster on more traditional tracks (like Barcelona next week). Second, because we’ve heard a lot of talk from Mercedes in the last year or so and it has not amounted to a great deal. In any case, they need to understand these significant upgrades first in the real world to get the most out of them. That is not going to come over one weekend. 

Reasons to be interested, then? Well, because of some reasons mentioned above it could be the best chance we have had so far this year (and possibly for the rest of the year) for someone other than Red Bull to win a race. 

The RB19’s advantage over the rest of the field has been smaller in qualifying and is likely to be smaller on this unusual track. Could we see another team on pole and then Red Bull fail to get past? Perhaps, but it might come down to strategy again and we know how good Red Bull are at that. Don’t get your hopes up too much, mind you.