Formula 1 returns to one of the most prestigious venues on the calendar as the famous Circuit de Monaco plays host to the Monaco Grand Prix this weekend.
Max Verstappen got back to winning ways last time out in Imola, though the Red Bull driver did have to thwart a late challenge from Lando Norris, who finished less than a second behind.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc completed the podium and this weekend will compete at his home race where, following years of near-misses, he is yet to secure a top-three finish.
Verstappen won last year’s race in Monaco, setting it up after a pulsating qualifying lap denied Fernando Alonso pole position, while Lewis Hamilton is a three-time winner around the tight twists and turns of the principality.
Follow live updates from the Monaco Grand Prix with The Independent
PREVIEW: How Monaco GP presents a unique F1 challenge – and why Charles Leclerc is desperate to finally triumph at home
The treacherous twists and turns of the Circuit de Monaco have not been kind to this small principality’s prodigal son. It took until 2022 – after two retirements and one devastating failure to make the start line after qualifying on pole, with a Covid cancellation thrown in the middle – for Charles Leclerc to finish his home grand prix. And even that was ruined by a strategy failure, confining him to fourth after also qualifying on pole.
Two years on, the Ferrari driver is heading into his sixth Monaco Grand Prix having never stood in the royal box overlooking the main straight, with Monaco the only race not to have an official podium for the top-three drivers. There is nowhere Leclerc, currently second in the world championship and trailing Max Verstappen by 48 points after seven races, would rather ignite a title challenge than here. The taste of winning champagne would hit different. You can bet it’d be expensive, too.
“Second or third is not really something that excites me,” Leclerc said on Thursday. “The win is what we need to target. We’ve seen in the last few races that Red Bull, McLaren and ourselves are pretty close in qualifying and we know how important qualifying is here so we’ll have to put everything together.
“If we are on pole, then that will give us a good chance to get what we want, which is a win.”
Kieran Jackson25 May 2024 09:45
When is the Monaco Grand Prix?
- Free practice 3: 11:30am
- Qualifying: 3pm
How can I watch it online and on TV?
The Monaco Grand Prix will be broadcast live on Sky Sports in the United Kingdom – and ESPN in the United States. Sky’s coverage of Sunday’s race starts at 12:30pm (BST).
Highlights of qualifying in the UK will be aired on free-to-air Channel 4 at 7:30pm (BST) on Saturday evening; the race highlights are at 6:30pm (BST) on Sunday.
Sky Sports subscribers can watch all the action at Monaco on the Sky Go app. If you’re not a Sky customer you can grab a NOWTV Day Pass here to watch without a subscription.
Kieran Jackson25 May 2024 09:25
F1 Monaco Grand Prix: Qualifying!
Formula 1 returns to one of the most prestigious venues on the calendar as the famous Circuit de Monaco plays host to the Monaco Grand Prix this weekend.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc completed the podium and this weekend will compete at his home race where, following years of near-misses, he is yet to secure a top-three finish.
Verstappen won last year’s race in Monaco, setting it up after a pulsating qualifying lap denied Fernando Alonso pole position, while Lewis Hamilton is a three-time winner around the tight twists and turns of the principality.
Kieran Jackson25 May 2024 09:21