Why risk still trumps tyre temps in Monaco’s F1 pole fight

Getting the front and rear Pirellis into their perfect grip window can help unlock those extra hundredths that can make all the difference between pole position or even being dumped off the front row entirely.

But as F1 braces for perhaps its most critical qualifying day of the year in Monaco, with the race all but won if you can lock out pole position, there is a factor that drivers agree stands out far greater here than anywhere else: risk.

When it comes down to those dying moments of qualifying that will decide who starts up front, there is more to be won by being willing to take it as close to the edge as you dare.

As Kevin Magnussen said after practice: “You’re just finding lap time all the time. The track is so bumpy and it’s just that much more intimidating driving around here. You don’t just go straight on the limit, you work your way up to it, and it requires bravery to really pull everything out of it.

“I don’t think anyone’s really done that yet. It’s very easy to go over the limit. And if you do that, it’s very costly.”

That aspect of building up to the best lap is something that Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz has suggested is critical: that the key to success isn’t just putting everything on the line for the final run in Q3.

Drivers need to work their way up to that final all-out effort where, he suggests, they begin operating in a completely different world to what they are normally used to,

“I still think that the fastest car and driver combination ends up putting it on pole when it comes to Q3, and there’s no miracles in F1,” he said.

“Also, because it’s not like you can hang around in FP3 or Q1 and Q2. You need to build up, and normally by building up it means still taking some decent risks in those sessions to see where the car is and where the tyre is over one lap.

“I think there’s special cases always, and random cases, but I believe more in the build-up than in someone suddenly going for a banana lap, however you want to call it. I believe more in the build-up and the confidence building and definitely taking 100% risks in Q3.”

Carlos Sainz, Ferrari SF-24

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

Sainz then offered a fascinating insight into how, for those final seconds of qualifying around Monaco, the approach has to be one of ignoring the dangers posed by the closeness of the barriers.

“That’s…