Leclerc seeks to regain command of the World Cup on the streets of home

MADRID, 26 May. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The Dutch driver Max Verstappen (Red Bull) will try to defend his newly released leadership of the Formula World Championship at the Monaco Grand Prix, the seventh round of the championship and the home race of his main rival, Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), who lived in Montmeló his first bad moment of the year, while Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) will try to return to the podium and Fernando Alonso (Alpine) will finally give continuity to his good last Sunday.

The most 'glamorous' event of the season and also the one that tends to offer the fewest emotions in terms of overtaking due to the conditions of its urban layout through the streets of Monte Carlo arrives with the current world champion demonstrating that he is still the rival to beat after recover all the disadvantage to a Leclerc that made Ferrari dream.

But the 'Scuderia' has begun to awaken from the illusion of reigning in the World Cup again and last Sunday at the Spanish Grand Prix it was confirmed that it will have to battle, and a lot, with Chris Horner's team, starting with a race where Saturday is usually vital next to the output on Sunday.

Verstappen commanded in Montmeló, yes, with some controversy because it had to be his teammate, the Mexican Sergio Pérez, who had to 'give' him the position. Red Bull got his second double of the year and Hasselt's his third victory in a row and fourth of the year, also taking advantage of the first failure of Leclerc's 'F1-75' to take command, although with only six points of advantage, 110 to 104 , which will now want to expand on a track that dominated last year and where Ferrari has not won since 2017 with the German Sebastian Vettel.

On the other hand, Leclerc has not yet been able to score points or finish on any occasion on streets he has known since childhood. In his two World Cup weekends at home with Ferrari, in 2019 he could not finish and last year it was even worse because after achieving pole position he had an accident and could not even race on Sunday.

In any case, the Monegasque already made it clear last year that with a car that is inferior in performance compared to Mercedes and Red Bull his ability to drive through the narrow streets of Monte Carlo, for which a rating of maximum emotion is expected.

And to Verstappen and Leclerc we must add their respective teammates, Sergio Pérez and Carlos Sainz, with the Mexican wanting to vindicate himself before the team orders in an appointment where he was third in 2016 and fourth last year, and the Spanish looking to repeat his great performance of 2021 when he was second.

The man from Madrid did not have much luck last Sunday in the race in front of his fans and a bad start penalized him, falling short in his comeback attempt and finishing fourth, which has dropped him further from the fight for the title. Sainz has always scored points in the Principality and will want to get involved in the Verstappen-Leclerc duel to get closer to the 'Top 3' of the classification where he is now surpassed by the 'Czech' and by the British George Russell, who are ahead of him by 20 and 9 points , respectively.

For his part, Fernando Alonso arrives in good spirits at this race that he won consecutively in 2006 (Renault) and 2007 (McLaren), but in which he has not been on the podium since 2012 when he was third at the wheel of a Ferrari.

Now, the two-time world champion, thirteenth last year in Montecalo on his return to the World Cup, I hope that his great comeback from last place to the points in Montmeló will be a change in his season and that he can be more regularly in the top ten , although he will have to draw on all his experience to shine on a Saturday where Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton could have their first joy due to the conditions of the circuit.

-Friday.

14.00-15.00 Free 1.

17.00-18.00 Free 2.

-Saturday.

13.00-14.00 Free 3.

16.00-17.00 Qualification.

-Sunday.

15.00 Race.