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While some F1 drivers have put together amazing streaks coming into the Monaco GP, others are definitely on the back foot!
For these drivers, Monaco is an opportunity to get things right, and hence, they are desperate to make a change in this race. In this piece, we take a look at a few such drivers who will be desperate for a strong result in the Monaco GP.
3 F1 drivers looking for a strong Monaco GP
#1 Charles Leclerc
Life was good for Charles Leclerc after the Australian GP. He had won 2 of the 3 races by then. He had a gap of more than 40 points over his direct competitor Max Verstappen. Moreover, the Ferrari was the car to beat at that point in the season.
In the next 3 races, the situation flipped on its head. Red Bull, and especially Max Verstappen, have won 3 races in a row and Leclerc does not have the championship lead anymore.
To make things worse, even though Leclerc will be taking part in his home race this weekend, the Monaco GP has not been kind to him whatsoever. With the odds stacked high against him, the Monegasque needs to fight back in the championship and he needs to do it now.
#2 Daniel Ricciardo
Daniel Ricciardo's career took a downturn as soon as he joined McLaren, and Lando Norris decided to level up. The Australian, who signed one of the most lucrative contracts in F1, has not lived up to the role that he was picked for. With his performances not improving for the second year in a row, patience is starting to wear thin at McLaren.
Team boss Zak Brown has even come out and said that Ricciardo's performance has not been as good as expected from him. Things like these are red flags a driver does not wish to see. Ricciardo has admittedly struggled and has not been at the level of his teammate at any time this season. To make things worse, he will be returning to the Monaco GP, a track where he was lapped by his teammate last season.
The Australian has been brilliant at the Monaco GP in the past. He will need to find something special in this race if he wants to further his career at McLaren.
#3 Lewis Hamilton
While he might not admit it, Lewis Hamilton would not like the fact that he has been beaten by his teammate in the last 5 races. Has luck played a part in a few of them? Yes, it has. That, however, does not mean George Russell would have been rolled over by Hamilton if the situation was any different.
Even at the Spanish GP, Russell beat Hamilton in qualifying and scored a podium while the latter did not. At the Monaco GP, the seven-time world champion will be looking to turn the tide in his favor and beat his teammate.
Hamilton is desperate for a strong Monaco GP, more now than he has been at any time in his career.
