16 LECLERC Charles (mco), Scuderia Ferrari SF-24, action during the 2024 Monaco Formula 1 Grand Prix, 8th round of the 2024 Formula 1 World Championship, from May 23 to 26, 2024 at the Monaco Circuit, in Monaco – Photo by Florent Gooden / DPPI
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The cars lined up in the pitlane with Gasly leading the pack while the last ten remaining drivers prepared for battle in the crucial 12 minutes of qualifying.
Given the notorious nature of Monaco, a solid initial lap would be of extreme importance, as you never know when a red flag may be raised.
Leclerc quickly reported: “There was some movement on the pedals.” Certainly not what you want to hear when you are fighting for pole position at your home grand prix.
After this, Leclerc set the fastest time, while Verstappen aborted his first lap, which was 20 seconds slower than Leclerc’s, but then completed another lap, only managing the third fastest time.
The Dutchman reported: “I am still facing the same issues in turns 5 and 10.”
After the first round of laps, Leclerc held the provisional pole position, with Piastri in second and Verstappen in third.
Sainz secured fourth place, Russell finished fifth, Norris sixth, Albon seventh, Hamilton eighth, Gasly ninth, and Tsunoda completed the top ten.
After a brief break, action resumed in Monaco for the second stage of qualifying, with the other 15 drivers heading out to the track.
Verstappen led the time screens after the first lap, while Leclerc surprisingly only managed sixth place. However, times continued to drop as the second round of laps began.
Leclerc improved to second place on his second lap, behind Piastri, who had the fastest time with three minutes remaining on the clock.
Soon, Norris set the fastest time as the final laps of Q2 unfolded. Verstappen then split the McLarens to secure second place, pushing Piastri to third.
And so the order remained, with Norris leading the pack with a time of 1:10.732, just 0.013 seconds ahead of Verstappen in second place, and Piastri 0.011 seconds behind in third. Leclerc settled for fourth place.
The first driver to be eliminated was Esteban Ocon, who finished in 11th, losing out to Albon by just 0.069 seconds. Meanwhile, Gasly in the other Alpine secured fifth place.
After a strong performance in Q1, Nico Hulkenberg could only manage 12th place in Q2, just 0.042 seconds ahead of Daniel Ricciardo in 13th.
Lance Stroll once again outperformed Alonso in qualifying, but could only secure 14th place on the grid, 0.162 seconds ahead of Kevin Magnussen, who finished 15th in the other Haas.
It was another closely contested stage, with less than half a second separating the top ten drivers who advanced to Q3.
Clear conditions persisted during the qualifying, which started with track temperatures at 47 degrees Celsius and ambient temperature at 21 degrees. All drivers lined up in the pitlane, eagerly awaiting the green signal for Q1. Meanwhile, Ferrari chose to keep their drivers in the pits, showing a sense of relaxation. Leading the pack out of the pits was Hamilton, setting the pace as the 18-minute session began. Hamilton initially set the fastest time, but Verstappen quickly surpassed him. However, Hulkenberg and Magnussen soon took the first two positions, with Piastri close behind in third. Leclerc eventually joined the action, but his first attempt only secured him sixth place. On the other hand, Norris achieved the third fastest time on his initial timed lap, while Russell eventually took the lead.
As the drivers used the soft tires, capable of lasting more than one lap, they continuously pushed the limits, resulting in the lead constantly changing hands as the clock ticked down. Traffic became a common issue, with Ricciardo expressing frustration with the “crazy congestion” at Turn 3. Leclerc also voiced his dissatisfaction, feeling out of sync with the other drivers and finding himself in 12th place with less than five minutes remaining. Eventually, the drivers returned to the pits for new tires and the second round of laps began. As the track continued to evolve, lap times dropped significantly, creating a sense of uncertainty for all competitors.
When all was said and done, Russell emerged as the leader, clocking 1:11.492. Piastri closely followed in second place, just 0.008 seconds behind, while Hamilton secured third place, trailing by 0.036 seconds. Sainz and Leclerc claimed fourth and fifth places, respectively, with Albon in sixth. Verstappen found himself in seventh place, over two tenths behind the leader. Unfortunately, Alonso was the first driver to miss out on Q2, falling short by 0.132 seconds and consequently starting the race from 16th place. Logan Sargeant secured the 17th fastest time in the Williams, over half a second off the pace, ahead of Perez in 18th place. Valtteri Bottas claimed the 19th fastest time, with Zhou Guanyu completing the grid in 20th place. Surprisingly, the entire grid was within a margin of 1.5 seconds.
© 2024
Portugal beats Italy in Euro Cup final
In an exciting Euro Cup final, Portugal defeated Italy 2-1 and claimed the title of European champions. The match, played at Wembley Stadium in London, was marked by tension and twists.
In the first half, Italy opened the scoring with a penalty goal converted by Insigne. However, Portugal did not give up and quickly equalized with a beautiful goal from Cristiano Ronaldo. The game remained balanced, with chances for both teams, but the score remained 1-1 until the end of regular time.
In extra time, Portugal showed their strength and secured the winning goal. With an individual play by Bernardo Silva, the Portuguese team turned the game around and secured the title. The Portuguese fans went wild with the victory and celebrated in the streets of Lisbon.
With this result, Portugal becomes European champion for the second time, repeating the feat of 2016. The team led by Fernando Santos showed great determination and grit throughout the tournament, overcoming tough opponents and establishing themselves as one of the best national teams in Europe.
Euro 2024 will be remembered in history as one of the most exciting and competitive of all time. The participating teams displayed high-level football and provided great moments for the fans. Now, all eyes turn to the next edition of the tournament, which promises to be even more thrilling.
