Five things we learnt from Monaco GP qualifying

Hamilton displays his 'new' approach

So, one of Formula 1’s more curious statistical quirks has now been erased – 43-time polesitter Lewis Hamilton has finally topped a qualifying session in Monaco.

You’d have certainly bet a sizeable chunk of the world champion’s bumper new Mercedes contract on that very outcome after he slipped straight into the Monaco groove in Thursday practice, but the full day’s break in track action appeared to have done Hamilton no favours as he fell behind Nico Rosberg in final practice and then the first two stages of qualifying.

But, just as it looked as though his team-mate was set to deny him pole for the third-straight year in the principality, Hamilton took a moment to say to his engineers over the radio, “just calm down and reset for this run” in the closing stages of Q2.

The message, which also appeared to be aimed at himself, certainly did the trick as after cutting his deficit to Rosberg in the second phase, Hamilton hit the ground running in the pole shootout with two laps which were more than good enough for that elusive pole.

For all the thrilling speed and on-track bravado he has shown in F1 since 2007, Hamilton has more than once been accused of impetuousness, but it seems the arrival of that second world title last year and, just perhaps, the milestone of turning 30 over the winter has had a calming influence on him.

Speaking in a fascinating one-to-one chat with another sporting icon, Thierry Henry, which will be shown in Sky F1’s build-up to Sunday’s race, Hamilton spoke of how he wanted to become a "leader" at Mercedes. Asked after qualifying if his radio pep talk was evidence of that new approach, Hamilton replied: “Maybe. Naturally, when you get frustrated, the first thing you want to do is blurt something out which is more often than not counterproductive.

"I know all these guys I am working with are doing everything in their power and we can’t always get things perfect, so I’m like ‘Guys let’s just take a step back, we can do this’. So it is my job and my role to influence the mind-set of the team and my guys – if they stumble I lift them up and vice versa.”

Considering Monaco has been the scene of some of Hamilton’s more infamous outbursts in F1 - think of ‘Ali G’ and last year’s “we’re not friends” remark aimed at Rosberg after their qualifying controversy – it was perhaps the perfect time and place to show a fast-improving facet of his armoury.

RB11 not so bad after all

For the first time in dry conditions this season, both Red Bull cars qualified within the top five on the grid, underlining that their chassis appears to be fundamentally sound.

Monaco places the least emphasis on engine performance of any track on the F1 calendar and that allowed them to not only jump ahead of struggling Williams but split the Ferraris. Daniel Ricciardo and Daniil Kvyat had previously qualified fourth and fifth respectively in the mixed up wet session in Malaysia.

“Red Bull look as if they have a very raceable package,” commented Sky F1’s Martin Brundle - a verdict Niki Lauda concurred with. “The engine doesn’t mean that much here in Monte Carlo as we all know. The car is very good and the drivers are very good so they are right up there,” the Mercedes non-executive chairman told Sky F1 following qualifying.

The single-lap performance suggests Red Bull’s public criticism of engine partner Renault wasn’t without foundation and proving the RB11 to be competitive will only heap more pressure on the French firm. With tensions calmed in recent weeks, this could also reopen old wounds.

It seems unlikely that Red Bull could take the challenge to Mercedes on Sunday, but the former champions will have been pleased to see their cars challenging Ferrari. Should the Silver Arrows hit trouble, it could be a Red Bull driver who picks up the spoils as was the case at Silverstone and Spa-Francorchamps last year.

McLaren aren’t making their own luck

It may be one of his most overused phrases, but Ron Dennis’ “to finish first, first you have to finish” motto has perhaps never been more apt for McLaren. Of course, finishing first may not be anywhere near McLaren and Honda’s radar anytime soon, but simply ‘finishing’ a little more often will start to ease some of the pressure on the still point-less partnership in 2015.

After retiring in Spain when he believed he was on course for the team’s first points, Fernando Alonso suggested after qualifying in Monaco that he could have qualified as high as row three had suspected electrical problems not stopped his car in Q2. That was perhaps pushing the bounds of optimism, but a slot on row four certainly was achievable after the team had run in the top 10 all through practice.

Had it not been for the Rosberg-triggered yellow flag, Jenson Button would have almost certainly made up the 0.094 seconds he needed to make Q3 and, once there, he could have made more progress given just a tenth of a second covered seventh through 10th in the final reckoning. The good news is that, should the MP4-30’s reliability hold, then points should finally be achievable for at least one car on Sunday – but can the team be sure it will?

Perez outshining the Hulk

While team-mate Nico Hulkenberg sounded like a driver who had given up as he limped to 13th on the grid, Sergio Perez made it into Q3 for the first time this season to take seventh – Force India’s highest grid position of the year.

Much has been made of the development, or rather lack of, with the VJM08, with talk of a B-spec car arriving later in the season and having a Mercedes engine is not as beneficial in Monte Carlo as it is at other circuits.

Indeed, such were their pace struggles in Spain both Force India drivers made a Q1 exit. However, despite his car's limitations, Perez managed to outpace the similarly-powered Lotus of Pastor Maldonado and both Toro Rossos in the top-10 shootout.

To make his performance even more impressive, Perez only had once chance to deliver in Q3 due to a lack of new tyres, adding to the pressure around the tight, twisty streets.

“I always say qualifying in Monaco counts for 90% of your final result, so it was important to be strong,” said Perez. “To be quick here you need confidence in the car and in yourself, and I had both today.” His lap impressed Martin Brundle during the session and the starting position gives the Mexican a chance to score what could be crucial points when the end-of-season prize money is given out.

Williams struggling more than anyone

If there was a common theme to come out of qualifying, it was that of tyre warm-up. Pirelli’s supersofts are making their season debut this weekend and rain on Thursday afternoon meant that no-one was really able to get a chance to run them until third practice. How many times in the past have we seen the red-walled tyre last little more than a lap? That certainly wasn’t the case on Saturday, with lock-ups coming hither and thither – and the situation exacerbated by falling temperatures as qualifying progressed.

It sounds a paradox but Pirelli have made the supersoft harder this year, and Williams were the team that struggled more than anyone. How else to explain the presence of two Red Bulls fourth and fifth on the grid with Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas languishing 14th and 17th respectively?

Massa and Bottas might have an extra 60bhp at their disposal but that’s been negated by the low drag characteristic of the FW37 – a boon at some tracks but certainly not at Monaco, with the knock-on effect of lower downforce in low-speed corners preventing them from getting the tyre in the right operating window (speaking to Sky Sports F1, the teams’ chief technical officer Pat Symonds said it was around 120 degrees C).

Appearances suggest, then, that the trade-off between engine power and downforce is well-and-truly working in Red Bull’s favour this weekend. And come Sunday, they should take a handy chunk out of the 51-point advantage Williams currently hold in the Constructors’ Championship.     

Don’t miss Sky Sports F1’s exclusively live coverage of the 2015 Monaco GP. The race begins at 1pm on Sunday, with build-up underway from 11.30am. No Sky Sports? No problem! Watch the Monaco GP for £6.99 with NOW TV

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