2018 Round 4 preview: Monte Carlo, Monaco

Data (GMT+2)

Thursday

Practice: 9:15-10:00 Qualifying Group A: 13:20-13:36 Qualifying Group B: 13:44-14:00PM Press conference – 14:20-14:40PM

Friday

Feature Race: 11:30-12:35 (42 laps) Press conference: 13:00-13:30PM

Saturday

Sprint race: 17:20-18:10 (30 laps) Press conference: 18:30 Note: The FIA F2 press conference takes place in the F1 press conference room.

Season Stats

3 Number of victories for ART Grand Prix after Round 3, the most of any team. 10 The number of drivers who have collected a podium finish this season. 5 The number of podiums collected by Carlin so far this season. 3.5 Lando Norris’ average finishing position in the first six races.

Warm Up // Artem Markelov – RUSSIAN TIME

“Monte Carlo has a really nice atmosphere, and I always find that takes some of the pressure out of your head for the race. When you sit in the car and you’re at the steering wheel, and try to go on the first lap the feeling is a little bit scary, but after some laps that goes. I quite enjoy this track, the people are nice so it’s a great place to be. I’ve been a bit lucky with virtual safety cars in the past, but hopefully I’ll get lucky again!

“There’s definitely some tracks on the calendar which are harder on the tyres than Monaco, but the key on this circuit is getting a good flow; getting into a good rhythm and trying to repeat it all the time so you don’t make any mistakes. I find the best places to overtake at Monaco are at the Rascasse, the Nouvelle Chicane after the tunnel, and I think it’s possible at the Casino as well.”

The Stakes

It’s a sea change in venue for the FIA Formula 2 Championship this weekend, albeit with both overlooking the Mediterranean. The field leaves the purpose-built Barcelona circuit to race in Monaco, touring the famous streets of Monte Carlo as the championship winds into its fourth round of 2018. With overtaking opportunities at a premium and the abundance of tight, technical sections, the slightest mistake by any driver will be punished by the claustrophobic barriers, making this a true test of each driver’s skill.

In Barcelona, Alexander Albon of DAMS took his second consecutive pole position, but the honours for victory were claimed by George Russell, who battled hard with Nyck de Vries to claim his second F2 win on the bounce. Russell’s ART Grand Prix teammate Jack Aitken doubled up on honours for the French outfit in the Sprint Race, overcoming the wet/dry conditions to secure his maiden win. Lando Norris remains at the top of the Drivers’ Championship, 13 points ahead of Albon and 17 ahead of Russell.

Carlin has retained the lead of the Teams’ Championship, but ART have now slashed the deficit to 21 points. With everything to play for in Monaco, a venue unfamiliar to a number of this year’s contenders, there is the potential for plenty of change in the pecking order. The soft and supersoft tyres have been selected by Pirelli for this round, which should add another element of excitement to the races.

Noteworthy

• The race weekend in Monaco is the fourth of the 12 rounds which make up the 2018 FIA Formula 2 calendar. • Last year’s feature race was won by Oliver Rowland for DAMS, as Dutchman Nyck de Vries secured victory in the sprint for the Rapax team. • Thanks to Monaco’s smaller size, the Qualifying session will be broken up into two groups. • Group A will consist of the odd-numbered cars, and Group B will be made up of the even-numbered runners. Each group will be afforded 16 minutes of running. • The fastest time will be rewarded with pole, and the driver’s corresponding group will be awarded with the odd-numbered placings on the grid, with the other group occupying the even placings. • There have been four first-time winners in the opening three rounds of the 2018 F2 season: Norris, Albon, Russell and Aitken. • Campos Vexatec Racing made up the most positions in the teams’ championship, moving from 10th to 6th thanks to Ghiotto’s pair of points-scoring finishes. • Lando Norris is the only driver to have scored points in every race.