2018 F1 Monaco GP FP2: Ricciardo Fastest Again as Red Bull Stays on Top

Thursday afternoon’s second practice session in Monaco took place in temperatures closer to those expected for qualifying, with teams focusing on single laps on soft tyres and long-run simulations. With the barriers almost touching the edges of the circuit, drivers had to increase their speed while avoiding damage to their cars. The result also provided an important reference for subsequent set-up work and weekend strategy.

Daniel Ricciardo was fastest again with a 1:11.841, while Max Verstappen finished second, 0.194 seconds behind. Red Bull took the top two positions for the second consecutive practice session. Sebastian Vettel was third and Lewis Hamilton fourth, indicating that Monte Carlo’s many slow corners suited the characteristics of the RB14.

Kimi Räikkönen was fifth and Valtteri Bottas sixth, with Mercedes and Ferrari not too far behind. Renault’s Nico Hülkenberg was seventh, McLaren drivers Stoffel Vandoorne and Fernando Alonso eighth and ninth, and Carlos Sainz tenth, underlining the close competition for places in the top ten. The result also provided an important reference for subsequent set-up work and weekend strategy.

Brendon Hartley finished 11th, Sergio Pérez and Esteban Ocon were 12th and 13th respectively, and Pierre Gasly was 14th. The gaps between drivers were small, and yellow flags in qualifying could quickly change the midfield’s grid positions. The result also provided an important reference for subsequent set-up work and weekend strategy.

The two Saubers were 17th and 20th, with Charles Leclerc completing 45 laps and Marcus Ericsson 46. Williams drivers Sergey Sirotkin and Lance Stroll were 15th and 19th. Both teams were still working to improve their cars’ mechanical grip in slow corners. The result also provided an important reference for subsequent set-up work and weekend strategy.

Nico Hülkenberg completed 30 laps, one of the lower totals in the field, while Brendon Hartley and Esteban Ocon each managed 47. Traffic can easily hold up drivers in Monaco, affecting both lap counts and lap times, so the timesheet alone cannot be used to assess long-run performance. The result also provided an important reference for subsequent set-up work and weekend strategy.

Thursday practice left Red Bull first and second, Ferrari third and fifth, and Mercedes fourth and sixth. Max Verstappen was less than two tenths of a second behind Daniel Ricciardo, making the intra-team battle for pole position a key point of interest for Saturday. The result also provided an important reference for subsequent set-up work and weekend strategy.

The official second-practice results showed Daniel Ricciardo fastest in 1:11.841, with Max Verstappen 0.194 seconds behind. The table below lists the fastest laps and lap counts for all 20 drivers. Following Friday’s rest day, teams would use the data to continue preparing for final practice and qualifying. The result also provided an important reference for subsequent set-up work and weekend strategy.