The crown jewel of Formula One, the Monaco Grand Prix, is just around the corner, ready to weave its magic on the streets of Monte Carlo on Sunday, May 26th, 2024. This legendary race, known for its tight corners, lavish atmosphere, and yacht-filled harbor, promises another thrilling weekend.
The competition on the grid appears to be closer than ever this season, particularly following Lando Norris’s first win in Miami and his narrow miss in Imola, finishing just 0.725 seconds behind the leader, Max Verstappen.
The Track
Circuit de Monaco
The 3.337 km Circuit de Monaco is an iconic street circuit located in the principality of Monaco, known for hosting the Formula One Monaco Grand Prix. Renowned for its narrow streets, tight corners, and elevation changes, the circuit winds through the glamorous Monte Carlo district, making it one of the world’s most challenging and prestigious racing circuits.
Due to the narrow and tight nature of the circuit, along with wider new-gen cars, overtaking is very difficult here, so grid spot is crucial. Therefore, teams and drivers try to maximize their performance in qualifying.
The driver and car must work hard and in precise synchronization, as the margin for error here is almost zero. The cars also experience very aggressive steering inputs and nearly 3600 gearshifts in the race.
What to expect?
In recent races, it’s become clear that both Ferrari and McLaren have narrowed the gap to the dominant Red Bull. This sets the stage for an exciting six-way battle for pole position among Red Bull, Ferrari, and McLaren drivers. Last year’s qualifying session featured a close competition between Fernando Alonso and Max Verstappen, with Verstappen clinching the pole position with a strong final sector, showcasing his speed at this circuit.
Max Verstappen matched Ayrton Senna’s record of 7 consecutive pole positions, which Verstappen may break this weekend, making him the new record holder with 8 poles in a row.
The home hero Charles Lecrlerc will be looking forward to winning the race and ending his bad luck at this venue and Leclerc hasn’t won a race since the 2022 Austrian Grand Prix.
With the recent upgrades, McLaren seems to have a slight advantage over Ferrari. If Oscar Piastri can take the pole his chances of winning his first F1 race are pretty high. Aston Martin will aim to improve their midfield position after losing many points to Mercedes in the last race, with Alonso finishing a disappointing 19th.
Senna tribute continues
In Imola, Ex F1 driver Sebastian Vettel invited all the drivers to pay tribute to the legends of the sport Ayrton Senna and Austrian driver Roland Ratzenberger who lost their lives at Imola during the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix.
This weekend McLaren decided to use a special Senna tribute livery on their car in Brazillian colours at the track where Senna was very successful.
Weather Forecast
As it stands, there is a threat of showers affecting the track on Friday and Saturday, potentially causing some drama in qualifying. However, conditions are expected to be pleasant and sunny for the race.
Weekend schedule
All the sessions are available to watch live on F1TV and Fancode in India. The detailed schedule in IST can be found below:
