stormybadger8 said:Leclerc was carrying way too much fuel yesterday...
You could really see it when he messed up his weigh-in. When he missed the scale and those Ferrari mechanics had to push him back, you’d naturally expect them to just shove him straight into the garage to top off the tank. Instead, they swapped his tires and sent him right back out!
Basically, he had enough extra fuel during that first lap to cover at least three more laps (the out-lap, the flyer, and the in-lap), which is a massive amount of reserve to be lugging around...
He certainly had plenty; you could see it in that second fast lap where he was down by about 1.175 in the first sector if I recall correctly. He likely would have clocked a 1:10.900, or at worst a 1:11.100, which would have been an untouchable pace for anyone else, even the second Ferrari. Carlos Sainz finished second, though he probably has more sense in his head and is driving slower than his potential due to previous errors.
By the way, I wouldn't wish rain on this race. Not because it isn't exciting, but because we won't actually get to watch a proper race; every single drop of rain results in a red flag, making actual racing impossible due to the danger.
Any shifts in the standings will come down to pit stops, tactical maneuvering, or perhaps during a Virtual Safety Car or a Safety Car, of which there will undoubtedly be two or three.
On another note, I have to give credit to Sebastian Vettel. He extracted far more from the Aston Martin than the car is actually capable of, though since this is Monaco, one shouldn't get too carried away.