Laurent Mekis: Ferrari has a very good car

In Monaco, the Ferrari drivers occupy the entire front row of the grid for the second time this season and are counting on success in the race…

Laurent Mekis, race director: “We are very happy with the results of qualifying. The Monaco track is unique and the fact that even here F1-75 has an advantage shows that Maranello has built a really good car. Congratulations to all the team and the riders who performed well.

Weekends in Monaco are always tough, but Charles and Carlos have dealt with the pressure and traffic by keeping the car and tires performing at their best. Again Charles got a better result, if the red flags hadn’t been there at the end of the session he could have gone even faster.

Carlos showed from the first practice that he has a great feel for the car and qualified second that he will play a big role tomorrow. Unfortunately, on his second attempt in the qualifying final, he had to spin the car to avoid Sergio Pérez’s car, who had an accident just before the tunnel.

There’s no denying that we were scared when we saw two cars cross the track – at that point we wanted the red flags to appear as soon as possible. Fortunately no drivers were injured and we will monitor F1-75 carefully to determine the extent of the damage.

Tomorrow we have a very long race, which can be especially difficult if it rains. Tonight we prepare for all possible options. There are a lot of fans in Monaco who support us and Charles – we want to give them a reason to be happy.”

Charles Leclerc (1st): “I am very happy with our performance this weekend. I felt confident in the car and attacked more and more aggressively in the qualifying final. The first lap was good and the second lap was one of the best I’ve ever done in qualifying. I really attacked at the limit – it was fun.

It’s a shame we didn’t manage to complete the last run, but we know it always comes with the risk of yellow or red flags.

Whatever the weather tomorrow, I will start from the best position possible and do my best to finish the weekend as smoothly as it has been so far.”

Carlos Sainz (2nd): “Until the final session, qualifying went without a hitch, but everything went wrong at the end. On my first attempt I had to overtake both Mercedes cars on my fastest lap, which cost me a few tenths. On my second try, I was confident until Perez, who was in front of me, crashed into a barrier.

I did everything I could to react and avoid the accident, but it was too late. Similar things sometimes happen in Monaco, unfortunately I found myself in this situation again.

Overall, second place is a good starting position on Sunday and it’s a good day for the team – we will recapture the entire front row of the grid and have the opportunity to score a lot of points. I’m looking forward to getting started!”