Christian Horner has taken a hit recently, with Sergio Perez not making it near the podium at Imola. Beyond that, McLaren looks mighty quick, and they have been closing the gap in the last two races. Lando Norris defeated Max Verstappen, and right behind the two was Charles Leclerc. Being the only Monegasque driver on the grid, the home race is important, and Fred Vasseur is ready to give him everything he needs.

Ferrari has been frustrated with not winning the world championship for over a decade now and seeing any progress in that end is an achievement. Red Bull are quick and keeping up with them was never going to be easy. Helmut Marko has looked out for the Milton Keynes outfit and when he noticed threats approaching, he publicly mentioned that the situation had been noted. McLaren and Ferrari are closing in and Red Bull needs to look over their shoulder at the Monaco weekend.

Helmut Marko’s sees danger coming

Marko knows that Red Bull won by a hair’s difference and that is not a good look for Red Bull. After the close race with McLaren, Marko opened up about Verstappen’s experience during the race as he stated, “Max’s tires were not in the right window of use. In the end, I was worried because Max was driving without any errors. Fortunately, Lando had two or three uncertainties that took him out of the DRS zone in the last laps.”

There were many slip-ups during the start of the weekend, even the 3-time world champion making his way into the gravel. Mentioning all their troubles, Marko added, “Our difficulties don’t come directly from Friday. On Friday we were completely far from the ideal set-up and we made some changes. We found a good solution for the medium tires, in fact, we were competitive with those compounds, but we weren’t competitive with the Hard ones”.

Looking towards the upcoming race, Marko acknowledged Ferrari as a threat to them at Monaco. He explained, “We know that we will have to fight in Monaco, for sure. And Monte-Carlo is a track where everything is decided in qualifying. It will probably be one of the most difficult for us, also due to the curb issue. But I think the Ferraris will be stronger than the McLarens. Because it’s all about qualifications.”  So what has Ferrari been preparing?

Ferrari’s mindset entering the Monaco GP 2024

It’s a home race for Charles Leclerc, as the Monegasque driver has some unfinished business with the podium. Although he has been quite frequently on the podium this season, he has yet to win a race. The 5-time race winner will be giving it his all in Monaco, and Ferrari will be backing him up well. With Max Verstappen taking the win at Imola, this will be revenge time for Ferrari and they will be coming in hot.

Speaking about the Monegasque driver, Fred Vasseur stated, “A few days ago it was our honorary race at Imola and this weekend Charles will be at home in Monaco, a job that is not finished for him and we would like to help him get there Carlos also enjoys racing in the Principality, where he got his first podium at the wheel of a Ferrari, so they are both very motivated.” Carlos Sainz Jr also has connections with the track, which was the circuit where he got his first Ferrari podium back in 2021. He has a race win in his pocket but that is not enough, as he had to sit the Saudi Arabian GP out. However, that is the past and Vasseur is looking towards the future in the upcoming Monaco Grand Prix.

The Ferrari team boss knows the workings of the track and he stated, “It is generally accepted that with the current generation of cars, overtaking is more difficult here than at any other circuit on the calendar, which means that qualifying takes on even more importance than usual.” Vasseur revealed his plans that will pressure Red Bull and McLaren at the race that they consider their second home. He stated, “So we will be looking to take a step forward for qualifying because so far this season we have lacked what it takes to be the fastest of all. With this in mind, we have been working hard in the simulator and during engineering meetings, preparing everything down to the smallest detail, and we intend to be at the forefront.”

Now, Ferrari is ready to put the pressure on Red Bull. What will happen in Monaco will be seen this weekend, as all three top teams are looking faster than ever. Everyone believes that the qualifiers matter the most and that will be something to look forward to this weekend. With that said, do you think Ferrari will be the one putting pressure on Red Bull in Monaco? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.