One of the most iconic events of the sporting calendar takes place today as Formula One races around the streets of Monaco. Max Verstappen is on pole position as he looks to continue his march towards a third F1 world title in a row, aided by his Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez crashing out in qualifying.
Fernando Alonso will be right on the Dutchman’s tail off the line however after putting his Aston Martin second on the grid, ahead of Esteban Ocon after some surpising pace from the Alpine over the weekend so far. Charles Leclerc starts sixth after a three-place grid penalty.
There is a slight chance of rain this afternoon to shake up what already promises to be a fascinating race, although overtaking has always been a tricky one around these narrow streets. Follow the Monaco Grand Prix live via Standard Sport’s race blog, featuring expert analysis from Matt Majendie in the principality.
Live updates
Watch the incident that earned Charles Leclerc his penalty
Charles Leclerc hit with grid penalty
An incident involving Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris in the tunnel during Monaco qualifying earned the Ferrari driver a three-place grid penalty – meaning he’ll start sixth.
The stewards’ verdict read: “Both drivers agreed that there was little that Leclerc could have safely done in the tunnel to avoid impeding Norris, given the difficulty in vision due to the light entering and in the tunnel and the change of lines from one side of the tunnel to the other.
“In fact, the stewards observed that Leclerc reacted in a sensible way to a blue flag displayed by the marshals, but at this point it was too late. However, the stewards reviewed team radio, and Leclerc’s team failed to give him any warning about Norris’ approach until Norris was already directly behind him.
“The stewards believe that there is much that Leclerc could have done prior to the tunnel to avoid the impeding had he received warning from the team at an appropriate time, especially considering that Norris’ approach was clear on the marshalling system.
“Thus, the stewards consider that the impeding was unnecessary. The stewards reviewed all the preceding unnecessarily impeding penalties in the past few years.”
Monaco Grand Prix weather forecast
There is every chance we get a wet race.
An initially damp forecast has, over the course of the week, gradually settled down into a more typical sunny scene for the principality.
Sunday, however, currently has around a 50 to 60 per cent chance of rain for during the race.
How to watch
TV channel: The race will be shown live on Sky Sports, with lights out at 2pm 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 stream: Sky Sports subscribers can watch live via the Sky Go app.
F1 Monaco Grand Prix LIVE!
Hello and welcome to Standard Sport’s live coverage of the 2023 F1 Monaco Grand Prix.
Max Verstappen starts on pole position in the principality after pulling a magnificent lap out the bag in qualifying, under heavy pressure from Fernando Alonso.
The Aston Martin looks set to be Verstappen’s main contender for the victory today with Esteban Ocon, Carlos Sainz and Lewis Hamilton completing the top five on the grid after Charles Leclerc’s penalty.
The race begins at 2pm BST and you can follow all the build-up, track action and reaction right there, and we’ll also have expert analysis from our reporter Matt Majendie in Monaco.
