Monte Carlo, 24 May

Friday in Monaco is the strangest day of the season, as the Formula 1 cars never leave the pits. They stay in the garages undergoing even more intense scrutiny than usual, but that doesn’t rule out the sound of engines, far from it. Various support races took centre stage today: spectacle is always guaranteed throughout the streets of the Principality, even for those who like to watch the action from the hordes of yachts moored on the side of the harbour.
However, this is not by any means a rest day for the eleven Formula 1 teams. Engineers and mechanics turn up as usual in the paddock and the garages. For the former it’s a case of looking to make the most of the extra time available between the end of second free practice and the start of the third session, to analyse the data even more meticulously than usual. For the latter, it involves dismantling and reassembling the cars to prepare them for yet another special day, the one that features qualifying for the Monaco Grand Prix.
Naturally, the men and women of Ferrari were no exception to the rule, going about their respective specialist tasks. The engineers also had the support of Pat Fry, who arrived today from Maranello. The Scuderia’s Technical Director is now back in good shape, having recovered from the appendectomy he underwent in Barcelona on the Sunday of the Spanish Grand Prix. He will now take up his usual position on the pit wall for the rest of the weekend.
And the drivers? They were able to relax a bit in what is a particularly demanding weekend, especially from the mental point of view as there is no margin for error on this track. The only official engagement they took part in was the usual autograph session that takes place at every Grand Prix. But you can be sure that both Fernando and Felipe will have met with Andrea Stella and Rob Smedley, their respective race engineers, to hear about the latest findings from the technical meetings. A real driver never switches off from work over a race weekend.