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After the cancellation of the last round in Imola due to the devastating floods in the Emilia Romagna region, Formula One is back and it’s amongst the glitz and glamour of the Monaco Principality. Tune in on The Roar from 10:50pm (AEST) for live coverage of yet another prestigious edition of the Monaco Grand Prix.
A race with so much prestige, but in modern times hasn’t showcased much in the way of close racing. Regardless this race is the jewel in the Formula One crown and a must-win for any driver.
Qualifying proved to quite special, with the fight for pole position going down to the death in Q3 and reigning world champion and current championship leader nailing his final sector to leap up and snatch pole from Fernando Alonso by 0.084 seconds.
Less than two-tenths of a second covered the top four drivers, showing how close the margins were in such a spectacular qualifying session. However, the race ought to be different story given the impossibility of overtaking at this tight and twisty 3.3km street circuit.
78 laps of Monaco will go quickly, unless there are incidents which cause safety car interventions. That will be the only way the current order could be shaken up.
Tyre wear is next to none in Monaco, so a one-stop race should be the standard for most of the drivers. Starting the race on the soft compound and transitioning over to the hards from about Lap 20.
Reigning Monaco winner Sergio Perez and Verstappen’s teammate crashed at Saint Devote during Q1 and will be starting from the rear of the field. Despite racing to fifth from last in Australia, that won’t be possible here.
Frenchman Esteban Ocon stunned also in Q3 when he put his Alpine on provisional pole initially, but lining up fourth was the surprise of the day and a solid result awaits if the race is straightforward.
Meanwhile Oscar Piastri found himself eliminated in Q2 in eleventh, with McLaren teammate Lando Norris just ahead. Norris having damaged his front-left suspension at the end of Q2 and the team miraculously repairing the car in time for a flying lap in Q3.
Will the Red Bull reign on 2023 continue with another Verstappen victory at the end of 78-laps, or could be surprise be sprung by Alonso who’s now been hungry for a Formula One race win for ten years.
Lights out: 11pm (AEST)
Venue: Circuit de Monaco
TV: Fox Sports
Online: Kayo Sports, Foxtel
Grid
1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull), 2. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin), 3. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), 4. Esteban Ocon (Alpine), 5. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari), 6. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes), 7. Pierre Gasly (Alpine), 8. George Russell (Mercedes), 9. Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri), 10. Lando Norris (McLaren), 11. Oscar Piastri (McLaren), 12. Nyck De Vries (AlphaTauri), 13. Alexander Albon (Williams), 14. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin), 15. Valtteri Bottas (Alfa Romeo), 16. Logan Sargeant (Williams), 17. Kevin Magnussen (Haas), 18. Nico Hülkenberg (Haas), 19. Zhou Guanyu (Alfa Romeo), 20. Sergio Perez (Red Bull)
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