F1 Monaco GP live updates: Charles Leclerc claims pole position as ...

Sergio Pérez reckons Ferrari is out of Red Bull’s reach at the moment in Monaco after a difficult Friday of practice for the reigning champion team.

Pérez ended second practice in eighth place, eight-tenths of a second off Charles Leclerc’s headline time for Ferrari, while teammate Max Verstappen could only muster a lap good enough for P4.

It’s rare for Red Bull to be the chasing team going into Saturday, but Pérez said it was “going to be tough” for the team to improve its car overnight:

???? “Our limitations are really hard to get away from them at the moment. So we’ll see what we are able to come up with tonight. We run two cars slightly different. I don’t know what the issues for Max were. So plenty of things.

“The long-run pace seems to be in a better condition, but obviously it’s just too late. We just have to wait and see.”

Long-run pace is largely irrelevant in Monaco given the importance of qualifying, and Pérez admitted to being impressed by the one-lap pace displayed by Leclerc and Ferrari:

???? “I think Ferrari at the moment are just not reachable, I think they’re really, really strong. Whenever they need the lap, they just seem to put it on really easy, really quick. And it’s something that it’s quite a benefit around this place, to be able to put the lap in quick and whenever you need to, and don’t struggle so much with tires and that sort of thing. They’re looking very strong at the moment.

“We’ve got a few items that we need to be able to improve. Then hopefully it can put us back in the fight, and just be closer to the top. I think it’s looking tough at the moment.”