F1: Monaco Grand Prix Predictions and How To Watch

This weekend marks the return of the crown jewel of the F1 calendar, as the F1 grid takes to the streets of Monte Carlo for the Monaco Grand Prix. It is a welcome sight for the sport, without another, albeit unplanned three-week unravel occurred without last week’s race in Imola was canceled due to historic flooding in the region near the circuit.

Ferrari made a donation of €1 million toward the victims of the floods, which was matched by F1. While the timetable moves on to Monaco this weekend, we’re certainly still thinking of all those unauthentic in Italy this weekend.

As we then move forward and shift our focus to this weekend, let’s get a quick refresher on where things stand. Max Verstappen leads the championship by 14 points without his win at the Miami Grand Prix. The two-time champion breezed past his teammate Sergio Perez in the final stages in South Florida on fresher tires, extending his wholesomeness at the top of the championship without it was just six points prior to the race.

Fernando Alonso picked up flipside podium, while the four drivers of Ferrari and Mercedes made up positions four through seven. While Red Bull is still firmly superiority of the other teams, the trio of teams overdue them should be tropical then this weekend. Red Bull themselves may find things a bit tougher though with suburbanite skill increasingly of an equalizer at Monaco, meaning we shouldn’t seem anything this weekend.

Aston Martin and Honda team up

Also, this week we saw some big news regarding the 2026 regulations. Aston Martin, currently using the Mercedes power unit, has spoken that they will join with Honda to use their engines whence in 2026. This lines up with the new engine regulations for that season and adds flipside power unit manufacturer to the list for the next era without Red Bull decided to link up with Ford for 2026.

While it’s nonflexible to predict how things will squint in 2026, the Honda power unit currently in the Red Bull is unmistakably the weightier on the grid. We’ll see if this is the final step in Aston Martin’s surge to the front, or if Mercedes can rebound and put together flipside monstrous power unit for the new regulations.

The Circuit

The Circuit de Monaco is one of the most famous racing circuits on the planet, with a rich F1 history. The 3.337 km (2.074 miles) spin that runs through the streets of Monaco is tight and difficult to master, but so rewarding for the one who crosses the finish line first on Sunday. The spin first held an automobile race in 1929, and it appeared on the timetable in F1’s first official season in 1950, surpassing leaving and coming when in 1955. It has since hosted an F1 race each year with the exception of 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ayrton Senna, nicknamed the “King of Monaco,” won at the spin a record six times. Among zippy drivers, Lewis Hamilton has three wins, and Fernando Alonso has two. Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez each have one win, having won the 2021 and 2022 races respectively.

This weekend, the teams will have the C3 (Hard), C4 (Medium), and C5 (Soft) tires misogynist to them, the softest in the Pirelli range. Friday and Saturday should be dry, while there is a good endangerment of a wet race on Sunday. The forecast currently calls for an 80% endangerment of rain on Sunday, meaning we may get plane increasingly unconnectedness if the track is unscratched to race.

A Lap of Monaco

With so much history tying to the streets it sits on, nearly every corner on the spin has a name tying to it. This makes things a bit troublemaking for new viewers, but it’s part of what makes the spin so unique. I’ll include the names in parentheses as we go through the lap so you can pick up on some.

The track starts on the short front stretch up to Turn 1 (Saint Devote), a 90-degree right-hander with little space on the exit as drivers push to the edge. It’s then up the hill of Turn 2 and into the long left of Turn 3 (Beau Rivage and Massenet). Turn 4 (Casino) is a slow right-hander that takes the drivers into the slowest section on the track. A nonflexible right at Turn 5 (Mirabeau Haute) leads into the slowest turn on the F1 calendar: the hairpin. Drivers trickle through this left-handed turn surpassing hitting two increasingly slow right-handers (Mirabeau Bas and Portier) and stuff released onto the when straight through the tunnel.

Coming out of the long right-handed Turn 9 in the tunnel the drivers slam on the brakes lanugo to the Nouvelle Machinations at Turns 10 and 11. This is the weightier overtaking spot on the track, though there aren’t really any constructive ones at Monaco in general. Out of the machinations comes the fast left-handed Turn 12 (Tabac). It’s then two increasingly chicanes the drivers have to navigate from Turns 13 to 17 (Swimming Pool). The first machinations is flat, but the second is extremely tight, and if drivers aren’t precise they’ll take a trip to the barriers and ruin their day.

The final two corners are slow right-handers (La Rascasse and Anthony Nogues) that take the drivers when onto the main straight, where the only DRS zone is located.

Points Standings

Driver Standings

1. Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing – 119 points
2. Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing – 105 points
3. Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin – 75 points
4. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes – 56 points
5. Carlos Sainz, Ferrari – 44 points
6. George Russell, Mercedes – 40 points
7. Charles Leclerc, Ferrari – 34 points
8. Lance Stroll, Aston Martin – 27 points
9. Lando Norris, McLaren – 10 points
10. Pierre Gasly, Alpine – 8 points

Constructor Standings

1. Red Bull Racing – 224 points
2. Aston Martin – 102 points
3. Mercedes – 96 points
4. Ferrari – 78 points
5. McLaren – 14 points
6. Alpine – 14 points
7. Haas – 8 points
8. Alfa Romeo – 6 points
9. AlphaTauri – 2 points
10. Williams – 1 point

Predictions

With Monaco all well-nigh Saturday qualifying, this prediction substantially rests on who will be the pole-sitter this weekend. Charles Leclerc has the last two poles on his home track, but no hardware to show for it. As foolish as it may sound, I’ll say it’s the third time a recreate for Leclerc, and I’ll take him to finally get that elusive home Grand Prix victory.

1. Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
2. Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing
3. Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing

How To Watch – F1 at Monaco (U.S. and U.K. times)

• Practice 1: Friday, May 26 – 7:30 a.m. ET – ESPN2 (12:30 Sky Sports F1)
• Practice 2: Friday, May 26 – 11:00 a.m. ET – ESPN2 (16:00 Sky Sports F1)
• Practice 3: Saturday, May 27 – 6:30 a.m. ET – ESPN2 (11:30 Sky Sports F1)
• Qualifying: Saturday, May 27 -10:00 a.m. ET – ESPN (15:00 Sky Sports F1)
• Grand Prix Sunday (Pre-Show): Sunday, May 28 – 7:30 a.m. ET – ABC (12:30 Sky Sports F1)
• Monaco Grand Prix: Sunday, May 28 – 9:00 a.m. ET – ABC (14:00 Sky Sports F1)