GP Monaco: times, standings, track info, weather

Times GP Monaco

This coming weekend, for the first time this season, there will be driven in our own time zone and there will be no special programs to be completed by Formula 1. That also makes the timetable nice and simple, although you have to take into account that qualifying only starts at 4:00 p.m. starts, while the race starts the next day at 3:00 PM. Start.

Championship standings

The title battle between Max Verstappen and Sergio Pérez was fun while it lasted, but in Miami Verstappen emphatically showed why it seems vain hope for Pérez to take his first world title this year. The two-time world champion won the race from P9 in a powerful way, while Pérez, who had started from pole position, finished in second place. It is up to the Mexican to hit back immediately in Monaco, otherwise Verstappen seems to be on his way to a lead that cannot be easily eliminated. Behind the two Red Bulls, Fernando Alonso strengthened his third place in the World Championship standings, but the margins between the Mercedes and Ferrari drivers remain small.

We don’t really need to talk about the first place in the constructors’ championship this year, it seems. Behind that, it remains unusually exciting between Aston Martin and Mercedes and Ferrari also has a view of second place. For now, Aston Martin has the best credentials, but the team could use some points from Lance Stroll on top of Alonso’s top performances. Anyway, the car is good enough for it.

Circuit Monaco

For the seasoned F1 fan, the circuit in Monaco really needs no introduction. After all, it has been on the calendar of the Formula 1 world championship almost continuously since 1955 (only it was canceled in 2020). Grands Prix were also held before that, the first as far back as 1929. So an old acquaintance, with a lot of history . It is not uncommon for legendary performances to be achieved here. Think, for example, of Ayrton Senna’s magical qualifying in 1988, when he took pole with more than 1.4 seconds ahead of teammate Alain Prost. In Monaco there is no margin for error on most of the circuit, so you have to come from a good background to still drive on the limit.

Unfortunately, the street circuit in the principality on the Mediterranean is sometimes also a place where Formula 1 is at its most boring. Especially nowadays, because the modern Formula 1 cars are so big that overtaking is hardly possible on the track. Here, the race mainly comes down to tire strategy and good pit stops, which can make all the difference. The most important thing, however, is qualifying, because whoever takes pole position here has an immense chance of winning the race. Last year Sergio Pérez managed to win here, even though he didn’t take pole position. Ferrari then went wrong with the pit strategy and thus handed over a potential 1-2.

Weather forecast

The first part of the race weekend in Monaco seems to be quite sunny with temperatures of around 25 degrees, but on Sunday it’s a different story. For race day, most weather stations report a chance of rain and even thunder. It is to be hoped that, like last year, it will not take a long time before it finally starts, although rain can of course make the race itself a bit more interesting.