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- October 21, 20269°
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New rules challenge teams at Monaco Grand Prix
On the first day of the 2026 Monaco Grand Prix, Aston Martin's gearbox issue, developments with Leclerc and Hamilton at Ferrari, Bottas's Cadillac statements, and...
On the first day of the 2026 Monaco Grand Prix, teams struggled to prepare for the track's unusual challenges along with new technical regulations. The narrow street layout, low-speed corners, and limited margin for error set the tone from the very first day of the weekend.
Aston Martin's gear synchronization concern
Fernando Alonso said that if the team's recent random downshift issue recurs in Monaco, even the race could be at risk. Alonso emphasized that in such a situation, control could be lost at braking points and there is a risk of hitting the wall.
Lance Stroll explained that gear synchronization breaks every time the car's speed drops below approximately 40 km/h. Stroll noted that this issue could reappear every lap at Loews Hairpin. That section, one of the slowest corners in Monaco, has become one of the most critical points of the weekend for Aston Martin.
Leclerc explains why he stayed with Ferrari
Charles Leclerc revealed two main reasons behind his new deal with Ferrari. The Monegasque driver said he made the decision because he loves the team and believes in the project.
Leclerc stated that he has a strong relationship with team principal Fred Vasseur and believes Vasseur is the person who can take Ferrari back to the top. Leclerc said Ferrari holds an important place in his career and reminded that the team was one of the first to trust him and played a role in his journey to where he is today.
Leclerc did not go into details about the contract's target duration or success conditions. However, he said there were other options available, but Ferrari was always his first choice.
Bottas hits back at Cadillac rumors
Valtteri Bottas strongly denied rumors about his future at Cadillac. Noting that such claims are nothing new, Bottas said some rumors are completely fabricated.
Bottas suggested that the purpose of these comments might be to generate headlines and clicks. He added that the Cadillac side knows his situation and fully supports him.
Bottas, who was behind his teammate Sergio Perez during the Canadian weekend, argued that the gap cannot be explained by performance alone. He said they have seen some issues with the power unit and car setup, and they need to work on quality, assembly and part compatibility. He added that this is understandable as they are a new team.
Monaco-specific rear wing solutions
Monaco's high downforce demand led some teams to unconventional rear wing solutions. The FIA's decision to deactivate active aero this weekend allowed teams to develop alternative solutions instead of movable wing systems.
Mercedes, McLaren and Red Bull stood out with more complex new fin solutions. Audi, Racing Bulls, Ferrari and Cadillac made simpler additions to the upper flap. While it is said that these solutions could provide a few tenths of a second gain, they are not expected to change the overall order.
Hamilton strengthens his adaptation at Ferrari
Lewis Hamilton said his 2026 season at Ferrari is going much better than 2025. Hamilton attributed part of that to leaving behind the challenging high-downforce cars that are now history, while also noting the significant contribution of the work behind the scenes at Ferrari.
Hamilton said his new working relationship with the team gives him more confidence. Referring to his race engineer Carlos Santi as "my Italian Bono," Hamilton stated that the engineering setup works much better than last year.
Hamilton also said that driver-engineer harmony is not always easy to establish, but on his side, there is now a much more efficient workflow. He expressed that this change has also reflected on the feedback received from inside the car.
Alpine investigating Gasly's balance issue
Alpine is investigating the sudden balance problems Pierre Gasly experienced in the last two Formula 1 races. It was also mentioned that the team will try a different setup this weekend.
This issue on Gasly's side has become even more critical on a low-error-tolerance track like Monaco. The team's quest for a solution was one of the notable topics on the weekend's technical agenda.
The first day in Monaco painted a picture where not only drivers but also teams were engaged in a fine-tuning battle. The technical experiments brought about by the new rules, even if they don't completely change the existing performance gaps, showed that the weekend is open to the smallest details.
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