The news about Niki Lauda came as a shock to me and to everyone. Whenever we met in the paddock, he was always kind, always willing to talk. He was a great champion and his personality will be much missed in our sport. It’s my first home GP as a Ferrari driver and it’s bound to be a special weekend. I remember as a kid, I would spend the afternoon with a friend who lived in a flat with a balcony overlooking the Ste. Devote corner. We used to play with toy cars while the real ones rushed past beneath us. I always told myself that one day, it would be great to be driving in this race. And yes, that did happen and the fact I’m taking part in a Ferrari this year means I can honestly talk about a dream come true. To do well in Monaco, you need everything in place, from courage to bravura, from luck to having a competitive car. I hope I can put on a good show in front of my own people and I will definitely be giving it my best shot.

Niki leaves a void that will be difficult to fill. He was a genuine motor racing icon. Nevertheless, we are here to race. There’s no doubt that Monaco is the most iconic race of the season, driving uphill at first and then down through the city streets, before going through the very quick tunnel in the dark, coming out into the port section. It’s really unique. For the drivers and engineers, this bumpy track is a world away from the circuits we are used to and that makes it even more challenging. The cars need maximum aero downforce and a set-up that gives the driver the confidence needed to brush the walls to chase the fastest lap time. here’s no room for error in Monaco and with just seven corners and no real straight, overtaking is almost impossible. That’s why it’s vital to qualify well. The track is so short that, in free practice and qualifying, there’s always traffic. You just have to keep going to try and find a clean lap.

The run up to this Monaco Grand Prix has been perturbed by our sadness at the news of Niki’s death. His straightforward no nonsense approach will be missed in Formula 1 and it will seem strange for all of us not seeing him in the paddock. Niki was a standard bearer for Ferrari and for Formula 1 and he pushed through changes in motor racing that made it even more professional, being ahead of his time in terms of being a stickler for detail which is now very much a key element of our sport. Turning now to this weekend’s race, last week’s testing in Barcelona and analyses carried out in Maranello confirmed just how much this year’s tyres, which are very different to those we had in 2018, require different mechanical and aerodynamic settings to work properly. We are already working in Maranello on evaluating new concepts, as well as bringing some initial further updates here. This Grand Prix is celebrating its 90th anniversary, as indeed is the Scuderia, which makes this weekend even more special. It’s a very different sort of race, where the track characteristics that can shake up the order could be jumbled up still further this weekend. As usual, qualifying will be very important because of the fact it’s almost impossible to overtake. Of course, Monaco is Charles’ home race and we know how much it means to him. It means a lot to us too.