F1 Monaco Grand Prix LIVE!
One of the most iconic events in the sporting calendar takes place today as Formula one racing around its streets Monaco. Max Verstappen is in pole position as he looks to continue his run towards third F1 world title in the series, with the help of his teammate at Red Bull Sergio Perez crash in qualifying.
Fernando Alonso he will be right on the Dutchman’s tail off the line, however, having put the Aston Martin second on the grid ahead of Esteban Ocon following a blistering pace from Alpine on the weekend so far. Charles Leclerc starts sixth after a three-place penalty.
There is a small chance of rain this afternoon to shake up what already promises to be an exciting race, although overtaking was always going to be difficult around these narrow streets. Watch the Monaco Grand Prix live via Standard Sportof the match blog, with expert analysis from Matt Majendie in the principality.
Updates on the Monaco Grand Prix
Meeting of the presidents
12:32 p.m , Mark Mayo
FIFA president Gianni Infantino wandered the Monaco paddock with FIA president Mohamed Ben Sulayem wearing an F1-branded cap.
As if he’s not on Merseyside today to watch Everton fight for survival?
Matt Majendie in Monaco
12:27 p.m , Mark Mayo
As always in Monaco – as in Miami – there is an impressive who’s who of celebrities in the paddocks. There have been reports that NBA star LeBron James may be a late arrival, but there’s no indication yet, although he’s apparently close.
Those who have made it are big names, including Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, footballer Neymar, singers Justin Bieber and The Weeknd, cricket duo Chris Gayle and Yuvraj Singh, comedians Chris Rock and Romesh Ranganathan and many more. “celebrities” I’ve never heard of.
Watch Sergio Perez crash
12:22 p.m , Mark Mayo
Sergio Perez’s reaction to his qualification
12:19 p.m , Mark Mayo
Red Bull driver Sergio Perez said he “couldn’t believe” he crashed out at Sainte Devote in qualifying.
“It’s an incredible day. I can’t believe what I did,” Perez said. “It just caught me by surprise, as soon as the rear was out of shape, especially very late in the corner, it caught me.
“It’s a way to get lap time, but I’m just over the limit. I became a passenger and couldn’t do anything else because it was too late in the corner and I couldn’t cut or get out of the corner.
“I didn’t feel like I pushed it too much, but it was a big mistake on my part – I’m very sorry for my team. It just came around and it was a big surprise. It’s no excuse, I should have done better today.”
A major rebuild of Sergio Perez’s car
12:14 p.m , Mark Mayo
Red Bull changed several parts of Sergio Perez’s car after he was bypassed in qualifying, which leaves him to start today’s race behind the team.
Relive yesterday’s qualifying session
12:06 p.m , Mark Mayo
Matt Majendie in Monaco
12:01 , Mark Mayo
Forecasts of a 50 per cent chance of rain come the Monaco race seem a bit high at the moment looking at the skies above, but the weather is known to change quickly in the principality.
It will certainly strengthen the race if the downpours follow.
Lewis Hamilton renewal with Mercedes ‘never in doubt’
11:57 , Mark Mayo
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has said he has never had any concerns about media speculation linking Lewis Hamilton to Ferrari because of a long-standing “deal” with the seven-time Formula One world champion.
The Briton is out of contract at the end of the season but has denied talks with Ferrari and said he is close to signing a new contract with Mercedes, the team he joined from McLaren in 2013. Ferrari also said it had not made any getting closer.
“We are in a very happy place with Lewis. There were no obstacles in the contract negotiations,” Wolff told reporters at the Monaco Grand Prix.
“We have a pact, and we’ve had it for many, many years, that we wouldn’t talk to any other driver before we made the decision to stay together or not.
“So I never doubted one millimeter that there was any discussion (with Ferrari). Someone just felt to put that in, maybe somehow play a part in what looked like a negotiation, but it’s not a negotiation.”
Watch the incident that won Charles Leclerc’s penalty
11:51 , Mark Mayo
Charles Leclerc hit a penalty on the grid
11:46 a.m , Mark Mayo
An incident involving Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris in the tunnel during Monaco qualifying earned the Ferrari driver a three-place penalty – meaning he will start sixth.
The stewards’ verdict was: “Both drivers agreed that Leclerc could not safely do so in the tunnel to avoid impeding Norris, given the difficulty in seeing due to the light entering both the tunnel and the change of lanes from one side. of the tunnel to the other.
“Actually, the marshals noticed that Leclerc reacted sensibly to a blue flag shown by the marshals, but by that point it was too late. However, the stewards checked the team radio and Leclerc’s team failed to give him any warning of Norris’ approach until Norris was already directly behind him.
“The marshals believe that Leclerc could have done a lot before the tunnel to avoid the barrier if he had been warned by the team at the right time, especially when you consider that Norris’ approach was clear in the marshalling system.
“Thus, the stewards consider that the obstruction was unnecessary. The stewards have reviewed all previous unnecessary penalties in recent years.”
Starting grid
11:41 a.m , Mark Mayo
Monaco Grand Prix Weather Forecast
11:36 a.m , Mark Mayo
There is every chance we will have a wet race.
An initially wet forecast gradually settled into a more typical sunny scene for the principality during the week.
Sunday, however, currently has about a 50 to 60 percent chance of rain during the race.
How to watch
11:31 , Mark Mayo
TV channel: The match will be shown live on Sky Sports, with the lights out at 14:00 BST. Coverage starts at 12.30pm. on Sky Sports F1 and Main Event.
Free highlights are available to watch on Channel 4 at 6.30pm.
Live broadcast: Sky Sports subscribers can watch live via the Sky Go app.
F1 Monaco Grand Prix LIVE!
11:26 a.m , Mark Mayo
Hello and welcome to Standard Sport’s live coverage of the F1 Monaco Grand Prix 2023.
Max Verstappen starts on pole position in the principality after a great qualifying lap under great pressure from Fernando Alonso.
Aston Martin looks set to be Verstappen’s main challenger for victory today with Esteban Ocon, Carlos Sainz and Lewis Hamilton completing the top five on the grid following Charles Leclerc’s penalty.
The race starts at 2 p.m. BST and you can watch all the build-up, action and reaction on the track right there, and we’ll also have expert analysis from our reporter Matt Majendie in Monaco.
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