Felipe Massa believes the Monaco Grand Prix will be challenging, as the new wider cars will experience this extremely tight circuit for the first time.
The Williams Martini Racing driver finished the Spanish Grand Prix in thirteenth, despite a good pace in qualifying that saw him qualify in ninth, a incident with Stoffel Vandoorne effected his race pace. The McLaren Honda Formula 1 driver collided with Massa in Turn 1 on Lap 34, leading to Vandoorne’s retirement. With an extra pit stop for Massa, he could only climb up to thirteenth.
Heading into this weekend, drivers will experience the Monte Carlo street circuit for the first time with the new wider cars. For the Brazilian, this adds to the challenge that Monaco already is, as your qualifying position really does matter, as often this decides where you will finish.
“It will be the first time we go to Monaco with wider cars,” said Massa. “So we will need to adapt to the new size for the extremely tight track.
“It will be challenging, for sure, but it always is in Monaco. It’s going to be an interesting race. It’s a race where anything can happen. Qualifying can be more important than the race, as the position where you start often decides where you will finish, so it’s important to have a good Saturday.
“Monaco is also like my second home Grand Prix, so I’m really looking forward to it!”