Monaco GP practice starts well and ends badly for Mercedes
MONACO — All was going to plan for Mercedes at the Monaco Grand Prix on Thursday morning. A few hours later the head-scratching began.
Lewis Hamilton was fastest in the first practice ahead of Sebastian Vettel, but then finished more than one second behind as Vettel set the fastest time in the second practice. Hamilton finished that in eighth place, with his teammate Valtteri Bottas down in 10th.
An F1 rarity sent ripples through the F1 paddock: meticulous Mercedes got its set-up all wrong when switching to the quicker ultra-soft tires during the afternoon session.
“The difference between the two sessions was night and day. I’m not sure why the tires weren’t working,” a concerned Hamilton said. “Ferrari are very quick again …. We’re looking forward to a real fight.”