Formula 1: Ferrari and Leclerc eye Monaco GP upset against dominant Mercedes

The Formula 1 World Championship arrives in Europe after five races dominated by Mercedes, and in particular by Kimi Antonelli, but the arrival on the Old Continent is expected at the Principality of Monaco, where the general superiority of the German cars could be challenged. And aiming for a comeback on the historic city circuit, slow and with many corners, is especially Ferrari, both for a single-seater that focuses more on agility than power, and for fielding a specialist like Charles Leclerc, in addition to a champion like Lewis Hamilton.

In the last six years, the Monegasque has secured three pole positions and has been on the podium as many times, with a victory two years ago that he hopes to repeat. For the occasion, Leclerc has chosen to wear a special suit, where white prevails over red in a combination that recalls the flag of the Principality. The dream is to show it off on the podium.

The directives from the FIA, specific for the next race and aimed at minimizing danger, have given further impetus to Maranello's ambitions.

First of all, the use of active aerodynamics will be prohibited on all parts of the track, so the wings will not be able to be opened by the drivers even in qualifying to avoid reaching excessively high speeds. Furthermore, it will be mandatory to use a specific mapping of the electric powertrain that reduces power injection, again to avoid dangerous situations on a track with no run-off areas. However, the overtake mode remains operational, which should make overtaking less complex on a circuit often traversed by single-seaters in a train formation.

But it is not only Ferrari that can count on a theoretical limitation of Mercedes' supremacy, as McLaren has also proven very effective in slow corners so far and Red Bull can always count on the extraordinary abilities of Max Verstappen to exploit even the slightest chance of fighting for the podium. If next Sunday's race promises to be one of the most balanced and uncertain GPs so far, it remains to be seen what Antonelli, who is in continuous growth and never ceases to amaze, will do, almost embarrassing his teammate, George Russell. The Briton, after Canada, has raised the white flag verbally, but will do everything to prove to the world leader that he is forced to chase him only due to an unfortunate series of incidents. One can only hope that between the guardrails and the ups and downs of Monaco, the challenge between the two does not recall recent collisions.

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