Daniel Ricciardo completed a successful day of running with Renault’s upgraded power unit by heading an eventful second practice session.
The Red Bull driver lapped over six-tenths of a second quicker than Lewis Hamilton and well inside last year’s pole position time. Neither Mercedes driver appeared to manage a completely clean lap on the ultra-soft tyres. Nico Rosberg was almost four-tenths of a second slower than his team mate.
Max Verstappen, still using the original engine (also branded TAG Heuer) in his car, was only a tenth of a second down on Rosberg. He had the two Toro Rossos for company as neither Ferrari driver figured in the top five.
Both SF16-H drivers appeared to be struggling with their cars and Sebastian Vettel made contact with the barriers twice on his way to ninth place. First he went into the Mirabeau tyre wall backwards, damaging his rear wing, and shortly after returning to the track he broke a wheel rim at Sainte Devote.
But he was far from being alone in that regard. Romain Grosjean had already put his Haas into the wall approaching the harbour chicane, where his team mate had almost crashed in the morning. Rio Haryanto lost his Manor at the same place but hit the barrier on the inside of the corner.
And Kevin Magnussen ensured both sides of the Renault garage had repair work to do on Thursday after running into the Armco at Anthony Noghes.
Second practice visual gaps
Daniel Ricciardo – 1’14.607
+0.606 Lewis Hamilton – 1’15.213
+0.899 Nico Rosberg – 1’15.506
+0.964 Max Verstappen – 1’15.571
+1.208 Daniil Kvyat – 1’15.815
+1.374 Carlos Sainz Jnr – 1’15.981
+1.433 Kimi Raikkonen – 1’16.040
+1.513 Sergio Perez – 1’16.120
+1.662 Sebastian Vettel – 1’16.269
+1.880 Nico Hulkenberg – 1’16.487
+2.116 Fernando Alonso – 1’16.723
+2.175 Esteban Gutierrez – 1’16.782
+2.242 Valtteri Bottas – 1’16.849
+2.267 Romain Grosjean – 1’16.874
+2.679 Felipe Massa – 1’17.286
+2.923 Kevin Magnussen – 1’17.530
+2.955 Marcus Ericsson – 1’17.562
+3.154 Jolyon Palmer – 1’17.761
+3.392 Felipe Nasr – 1’17.999
+4.040 Rio Haryanto – 1’18.647
+4.207 Pascal Wehrlein – 1’18.814
Drivers more then ten seconds off the pace omitted.
kpcart
26th May 2016, 14:40
Ricciardo 5 seconds faster then his time in practice 2 last year! while Mercedes only 2 seconds faster.
Boomerang
26th May 2016, 14:42
Today ended an era of Mercedes’ domination. Congratulations to hard working people in Milton Keynes and Viry.
Armchair Expert (@foreverred)
26th May 2016, 14:56
On saturday you’ll see a silver car end up P1.
72defender (@72defender)
26th May 2016, 20:28
+1.
Bustertje (@datt)
26th May 2016, 14:59
I hope you’re right. Pulling a gap like that after an engine-update on a track where power is less important, is quite impressive.
Duc Pham (@ducpham2708)
26th May 2016, 15:01
I wouldn’t jump to conclusions just yet. Mercedes pole time last year was about 1:15.1 on the Supersoft tyres, half a second slower than Ricciardo’s time today. Plus the fact that the Mercs are stuck in a bit traffic on their hot laps. And also the fact that times today are set on the Ultrasoft tyres, which are about 0.3s faster than the Supersoft tyres.
Mercedes had that kind of pace last year, after a year of development, in qualy, I’m certain they can easily beat the 1:14.607 set by the frontrunning Red Bull today. Question is, has Red Bull unleashed its full potential?
I think Red Bull was testing out its new engine by pushing it to the limit and see how it worked. Ricciardo is almost a second faster than Verstappen. Around Monaco, you can’t gain up to one second on in-season engine upgrade. Yes, you can argue that Ricciardo is better than Verstappen in one-lap pace, but even so the numbers just don’t add up.
Man United_Vettel (@siegfreyco)
26th May 2016, 15:53
@ducpham2708 It’s around 0.8 to 1 second faster
ES
26th May 2016, 19:16
Not only a second faster then his teammate…but alos Rosberg….how does that add up?
Matn
27th May 2016, 13:38
The new Tag engine should be up to 0.5 sec faster, predictions for Monaco are 0.2-0.3 sec, but you never know for sure ofcourse. The engine has better topspeed, but also more traction which is a benefit at Monaco.
Max was 0.1 sec from Ricciardo’s time in sector when Vettel spun, he would have lost a couple of tenths more probably, but that would have been a lap which would match Hamilton’s lap.
I think we haven’t seen Mercedes, Ferrari and RBR doing their best laps yet. Ricciardo though was close to his limits.
NewVerstappenFan (@jureo)
27th May 2016, 20:08
Pretty much pole will be aroound 1:13 then? Briliantly fast.
totowolf
26th May 2016, 16:22
How many times have we said this about Ferrari only to see the Mercedes blown them out by half a second in Q3? Some have mentioned the Mercs have a super high performance engine mode they use only in Q3 so tomorrow will be the same, mercs front row lock out with ferrari and redbull fighting for best of the rest. Lets just hope Lewis crashes into the back Nico at T3 again.
rushfan
27th May 2016, 17:59
bit rash..
kpcart
26th May 2016, 14:44
practice shows the order of chassis- Redbull best, Mercedes 2nd, Toro rosso 3rd, Ferrari 4th. with updgraded engine, I hope Redbull can challenge Mercedes for the rest of the year, the sport needs it.
Armchair Expert (@foreverred)
26th May 2016, 15:15
Practice shows nothing. Mercedes will likely still end up P1 and Ferrari will be ahead of Toro roso come qualifying. The fastest FP2 time last year was 1:17.192 by Ham, the Quali 3 time was 1:15.98 by Ham and today FP2 time by Ham was 1:15.213. Mercedes are still ahead. They’ll be in the 1:13 come saturday along with the bulls. Also the cars were running different levels of Fuel according to Sky.
Ed
26th May 2016, 16:31
Ricciardo’s race simulation was better too.
Trublu
27th May 2016, 19:12
It’s really hard to take you serious. Just last year, Lewis wiped the floor with his only real competition at Monaco until they made the bonehead move to pit him. Saying he’s never been good here is a big stretch
Mashiat (@mashiat)
26th May 2016, 14:45
I really, really hope that Red Bull can challenge and even beat the Mercedes in qualifying. I really think they can do it as Mercedes don’t have their usual “turn the wick up for Q3” advantage here as it is quite irrelevant.
Adam (@rocketpanda)
26th May 2016, 14:50
I love Daniel Ricciardo.
mickey18 (@mickey18)
26th May 2016, 15:21
Ya
kpcart
26th May 2016, 14:51
driver confidence is paramount here, Hamilon has never been great in Monaco even with the best car on about 5 occasions, I believe Ricciardo will get pole, driver confidence is paramount here and it starts on Thursday.
Ju88sy (@)
26th May 2016, 16:38
In 2015 Hamilton hooked his laps together perfectly and was the first to say that hadn’t been the case in previous years, safe to assume that has continued in 2016. It’s going to be a fascinating Saturday.
The Red Bulls look great, especially Ricciardo’s car it was a joy watching it scythe through swimming pool today, easily the quickest car through that section.
Trublu
27th May 2016, 19:13
It’s really hard to take you serious. Just last year, Lewis wiped the floor with his only real competition at Monaco until they made the bonehead move to pit him. Saying he’s never been good here is a big stretch
Uzair Syed (@ultimateuzair)
26th May 2016, 14:53
A Ricciardo win would be nice. Since Monaco is usually a procession, a Mercedes at the front will make this another dull affair. Hopefully rain is still a very likely treat on Sunday.
Uzair Syed (@ultimateuzair)
26th May 2016, 14:53
*threat
SteveR
26th May 2016, 15:06
No, you were right the first time; treat.
Deej92 (@deej92)
26th May 2016, 15:13
I was going to say, treat works for me.
Ashwin
26th May 2016, 15:23
Yeah treat is the right word here !
David BR
26th May 2016, 15:24
*treat fine by me
x303 (@x303)
26th May 2016, 16:40
@ultimateuzair, I hardly see how a RB led procession could be any better racing-wise…
moblet (@moblet)
26th May 2016, 14:56
@ultimateuzair Freudian slip there :)
DB-C90 (@dbradock)
26th May 2016, 14:57
Have to admit I enjoyed watching those sessions. Monaco really delivers when it comes to driver skills. Several caught out and this is one of the few tracks that penalises you properly for exceeding the track limits.
Great lap by Dan Ric.
Lewis McMurray (@celicadion23)
26th May 2016, 15:00
Looks like Max has the same sort of luck Vettel had, moving to Red Bull at exactly the right time. Or, do Red Bull just perfectly time the promotion of their golden boys to the senior team?
peter
27th May 2016, 16:36
Marko has only one working eye left, it seems to work quite well on it’s own. ;)
Billys (@bilarxos)
26th May 2016, 15:13
I love to see Daniel R. and Lewis H in the same team! It will be fascinating !
flyhigh
26th May 2016, 15:16
rb look really good VES also did double purple with a 19.5 S1 and then had traffic s3 on his flying lap he would be thereabouts with hamilton’s time
Johnny H.
26th May 2016, 19:24
Max was on a quick lap when Vettel spun, so Max had to stop his qualifying-sim run.
Ashwin (@redbullf1)
26th May 2016, 15:26
Wow this is getting exciting, I hope the Redbulls get right in the tail of the Mercedes here after.
Simon-Paul Strikwerda
26th May 2016, 15:31
What has happened to Ferrari? Seems their ambitions for this season (beating Mercedes) are going down the drain already! I am a long time Vettel fan, and it breaks my heart to see such a big team with a lot of history struggle so much. And it’s absolutely not the driver’s faults as i regard Seb and Kimi among the fastest and most skilled drivers of the pack.
It just seems – and history has proven this – that whenever the management and pitwall of the team is packed with hot-headed Italians – there is no rest in the team and they can’t think clear. We’ve already seen this in Melbourne and Spain, where the team gave away the victory due to bad strategic choices.
I hereby ask Mr. Ross Brawn to sell his fishing rod and please come back to the pit wall! Arrivabene stays the team principal, Brawn as racing director, and Allison as technical director.
evered7 (@evered7)
26th May 2016, 19:35
Seb crashes twice today yet somehow it is not the driver’s fault? The car was good in Spain, it can’t become a cropper in two weeks.
The points are given on Sunday. Keep the faith up.
Simon-Paul Strikwerda
26th May 2016, 20:57
I was not talking about today’s incidents, but more about the performance of the team and car in general. Vettel admitted his accidents were his own doing. And indeed i’m sure the reds will be quicker than the Toro Rosso’s come saturday.
Burr
26th May 2016, 23:47
Think how Alonso fans have felt since about 2011!
At least your ambitions exceed making Q3.
JamieFranklinF1 (@jamiefranklinf1)
26th May 2016, 15:33
So pleased to see this. I’m sure it will be closer come qualifying, as Mercedes always have something in the bag, but it should be a good fight for the win.
Who would have thought a few years ago that we’d be pleased that a Red Bull was out front by 6 tenths!
Sudha S
27th May 2016, 4:02
+1 Exactly my thoughts. Rooting for RBR for the first time in my life
Christopher Rehn (@chrischrill)
26th May 2016, 15:53
If this continues, I think we can see lap times below 1:13 in qualifying. A 1:12.9 maybe?
Jean
26th May 2016, 15:55
What kind of tyres McLaren were using?
dbHenry
26th May 2016, 16:12
Based on the comments of a certain team’s brass, I was expecting to see a McLaren out front. Or at least in the top 5. This is still practice though. Maybe on Saturday we’ll see it unleashed.
The possibility of a Red Bull on pole is a little unexpected. But it’s nothing Newey. One can’t be too mystified by his car design doing well on a circuit like Monaco.
Todfod (@todfod)
26th May 2016, 18:54
Mclaren’s a joke. They’re 2 seconds behind the quickest car on almost every circuit. Doubt they’ll even get 1 car in to q3 again
Ian Bond (@ianbond001)
26th May 2016, 21:23
A few days ago Ron Dennis said something like “McLaren will take over winning championships from Mercedes”
The guy has the 5th/6th chassis in the game now and the worst engine. Every time he opens his mouth he more and more like a bad joke!!!
I’m so sorry for those two drivers he keeps lying to!
Craig Woollard (@craig-o)
26th May 2016, 16:29
Ricciardo has looked like a man possessed from what I’ve seen of him. Massively impressed.
I don’t want to jump to conclusions on the new-spec Renault PU or anything like that though. Mercedes had a massive margin at Barcelona, which is a much more reliable benchmark than Monaco. However Ricciardo is looking very strong this weekend.
CarlD
26th May 2016, 19:22
I am impressed that Daniil Kvyat is looking very strong at this point in the Toro Rosso.
What if he were to beat Max in qualifications and the race?
AntoineDeParis (@antoine-de-paris)
26th May 2016, 21:07
Daniel clearly flexin’, so 4th place guaranteed.
duncan idaho
27th May 2016, 3:02
ha!
…also a lock if he’s a bit off the pace, has a flat, a crash or stops for coffee.
NewVerstappenFan (@jureo)
26th May 2016, 21:51
Hamilton said recently they use max power only for Q2 and Q3
NewVerstappenFan (@jureo)
26th May 2016, 21:58
To expand a bit Magnusen, unprofessional that he is, blurted out power of the engine is now 900hp from 880hp before upgrade. He said it a little between the lines.
Nico Rosberg while shooting powerboat commercial, said 2x 480hp powerboat engines, had just slightly more power than his F1 car. So we can assume Mercedes has less than 960hp.
What we saw today was Riciardo probably smartly testing out quali engine mode, while they can still change to old spec if engine fails.
Red Bull claims to be faster in slow corners than Mercedes, if they had roughly equal power, Red Bull is naturaly to be on top. Bit Mercedes as always didnt show their full power just yet. In any case it looks close. Maybe just Riciardo on a super lap.(wouldn’t be the first time)
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
26th May 2016, 22:47
@jureo
How mean-spirited to leap to a conclusion about what Magnussen meant and then using your own supposition to brand him “unprofessional”. As if he couldn’t possibly have plucked two approximate figures from the air.
NewVerstappenFan (@jureo)
27th May 2016, 14:21
All appologies, I should have said “unprofessional”.
I meant to say he released a bit of a secret, and then compared it to Nico Rosberg TV statement. Comparing both equally professional drivers revealing some horsepower figures.
So sad teams dont just say it.
Again, Kevin is as unprofessional at keeping a secret as Nico. And there is hardly a more professional driver than Nico.
Now maybe he did pluck the figures from the air, but numbers seem close to the mark.
SauberS1 (@saubers1)
26th May 2016, 22:57
Very nice improvement.
Maciek (@maciek)
27th May 2016, 0:31
Can’t believe I’m cheering for Red Bull…
Mark
27th May 2016, 0:34
Any chance we can have a column to denote which tyre the lap was set on in the table rather than having to read through the article?
Mark
27th May 2016, 0:36
*EDIT* This would also be helpful on the timing information on the left of screen during the broadcasts as I normally watch a recording of practice sessions and its not practical to skip forward on the live timing app as I fast forward ads etc
Lee Porcelli
27th May 2016, 10:54
Great day for Red Bull and Daniel . Should make for a great weekend.The guy under pressure seems to be Sebastien with basically two unforced errors.