2023 Formula One Monaco Grand Prix

2023 Monaco Grand Prix.jpg

Who will win the 2023 Formula One Monaco Grand Prix?

  • Max Verstappen

    Votes: 140 47.8%

  • Sergio Perez

    Votes: 13 4.4%

  • Fernando Alonso

    Votes: 90 30.7%

  • Lance Stroll

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Charles Leclerc

    Votes: 15 5.1%

  • Carlos Sainz

    Votes: 2 0.7%

  • Lewis Hamilton

    Votes: 10 3.4%

  • George Russell

    Votes: 2 0.7%

  • Kevin Magnussen

    Votes: 3 1.0%

  • Nico Hulkenberg

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Pierre Gasly

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Esteban Ocon

    Votes: 3 1.0%

  • Yuki Tsunoda

    Votes: 3 1.0%

  • Nyck De Vries

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Valtteri Bottas

    Votes: 1 0.3%

  • Zhou Guanyu

    Votes: 3 1.0%

  • Logan Sargeant

    Votes: 1 0.3%

  • Alexander Albon

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Lando Norris

    Votes: 5 1.7%

  • Oscar Piastri

    Votes: 2 0.7%
  • Total voters
    293
The crown jewel in Formula One's crown, the Monaco Grand Prix is next on the 2023 calendar. After an unplanned break, teams will be anxious to set the pace on this irregular circuit.
Image credit: Formula E on Newspress

The end of May was supposed to mark the beginning of Formula One's first triple-header of 2023. But with torrential flooding cancelling the Imola event, the paddock has hot-footed it across the border into Monaco for what is arguably the most unique event on the sport's calendar.

Winding through ancient streets sided by rock-hard metal barriers, the Monaco Grand Prix is always a spectacle to watch, especially on Saturday. This unique circuit may not produce spectacular racing, but thanks to its challenging layout, qualifying is always worth the watch.

Upgrades in Monaco​

One major problem teams are facing following the cancellation of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in Imola is the lack of running with new upgrades. Many teams, including Mercedes had planned to trial significant upgrades on the Italian circuit. However, with that event now lost, it will be a tough decision as to whether they run the new pieces in Monaco or not.

Whilst they surely want to improve their cars as early as possible, Monaco is a circuit different to any other. An upgrade that works at most Formula One venues may not work at Monaco. Whilst a design that shows performance at Monaco may not correlate with the rest of the calendar. Risking this confusion when flying within a hair's width of the barriers is dangerous business. If a driver were to break a new part without providing enough data to ensure it works, it would set their car's development back weeks and take a large chunk out of the cost cap budget.

Sidepods ready for the 2023 Mercedes F1 car at Monaco - Image credit: Simon Lazenby on Twitter


To run or not to run upgrades at Monaco is a big question. Mercedes is one team that will be anxious to trial its latest improvements given the change's sizeable nature. Journalists and photographers in the pitlane today have been left in awe at new Mercedes flanks featuring pronounced sidepods. Whether or not this change radically improves the team's car will be an interesting topic of conversation this weekend.

A different order?​

As F1 press won't let the community forget, Monaco is a unique race on the F1 calendar. In fact, it's not really a race at all. By the time we get to Sunday, the final race result is pretty much confirmed given overtaking is seemingly impossible. Bar the odd driver error or poor show of reliability, the result at the end of qualifying remains until the end of the race.

As a result, it is crucial to maximise one's qualifying pace. This also means that the order could see a shake up this weekend. Throughout the season, we've seen the top four teams be much closer on a Saturday than a Sunday. That, coupled with the unique layout characteristics mean the race win is absolutely up for grabs.

In his podium interview at Miami, Fernando Alonso mentioned Monaco as the possible location for his elusive 33rd F1 race win. Considering the Aston Martin's strength in lower-speed corners, this is entirely plausible. But when one considers the likes of Leclerc's super human qualifying pace and the Red Bull invincibility, one can truly get excited about Saturday afternoon's sessions.

How to watch the Monaco Grand Prix?​

In the past, the Monaco Grand Prix weekend featured particularities far greater than its layout. In fact, up until 2021, the first two practice sessions would take place on a Thursday rather than their typical slot on a Friday. This left a gap in proceedings on Fridays for drivers to complete media commitments and have a break.


However, in 2022 that all changed. Whilst many attempt to claim that the changes to tradition are in a bid for Formula One's organisers to take back control of the event from the Automobile Club de Monaco, that simply isn't the case. With triple headers coming as a result of the increasing number of races per season, something had to budge. The shortened weekend gives teams more time to prepare and rest between the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix and Monaco.

With plenty going on during the weekend, you won't want to miss a second of on-track action. To ensure you stay up to speed with all the goings on, European fans can follow sessions live from the F1 TV app. British F1 enthusiasts however must make do with the Sky Sports F1 coverage or Channel 4 highlights.

The twenty F1 cars will take on the legendary Monaco street track this weekend for multiple sessions. Find all the times below:

Friday:​

FP1: 13:30 CEST - 14:30 CEST
FP2: 17:00 CEST - 18:00 CEST

Saturday:​

FP3: 12:30 CEST - 13:30 CEST
Qualifying: 16:00 CEST - 17:00 CEST

Sunday:​

Monaco Grand Prix: 15:00 CEST - 17:00 CEST

Will you watch the 2023 Monaco Grand Prix? Who are you cheering for?
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About author
Angus Martin
Angus Martin
Motorsport gets my blood pumping more than anything else. Be it physical or virtual, I'm down to bang doors.

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Comments

Turk
Badwheels said:
Most viewers want something "spectacular" to happen every time they watch a race.
Click to expand...
Yes, and it's probably about time sporting bodies stopped pandering to what most people want. Most people are lay people with nothing more than a passing interest in any sport. Chasing them means undermining the sport to bring in more cash for shareholders.
It's systemic in all sports though.
 
S
Badwheels said:
The question becomes "what do you expect when you view an event to make it non boring"? Crashes? World Record speed? Wheel to wheel racing ? Fights between drivers? BOP for F1?
Click to expand...

There are lots of crashes in Monaco, so clearly that’s not it. For me, it’s the belief that one car can pass another on track without a significant mistake or an absolutely tremendous difference in performance. Without rain, I didn’t for once believe there was any chance that Alonso could pass Max on track. If the positions had been reversed, I don’t think Max would have been able to pass Alonso.

For me, I don’t need passing to the arbitrary like you see in oval Racing, but track position shouldn’t trump all like you see in Monaco
 
Badwheels
Scottt said:
There are lots of crashes in Monaco, so clearly that’s not it. For me, it’s the belief that one car can pass another on track without a significant mistake or an absolutely tremendous difference in performance. Without rain, I didn’t for once believe there was any chance that Alonso could pass Max on track. If the positions had been reversed, I don’t think Max would have been able to pass Alonso.

For me, I don’t need passing to the arbitrary like you see in oval Racing, but track position shouldn’t trump all like you see in Monaco
Click to expand...
I would bet if you looked up winners of F1 races, say after the era of cars falling completely apart after 2 or 3 laps, you would find track position rules at almost every track in F1. That is why everyone goes doofus when a driver starts anywhere after 4th and wins. Track position is F1 is king at every track. Especially if a couple of teams have a car that is head and shoulders above the rest.

During the first Red Bull Reigh(Vettel) how many times did he have to catch someone from behind ? The Mercedes Reign how Times did Lewis catch someone from behind ? And if they did on what tracks did they do it ?

Yeah the cars are big as sh!t to be on those streets. Monaco ain't F1's issue. To me, it's year after year, of tremendous disparity between the cars that each team puts on the track. I mean Williams is basically the Chicago Cubs, prior to 2016, of F1. Every year they have a sh!t car? Really? How do they survive?

I am not a BOP fan. I think anyone that gets into that level of racing should have the tools to get after it. But they don't. So you have boring races of 1-3 teams, 22 seconds ahead every race, and everyone else, looking like Lego builders.
 
Turk
I actually thought this was a pretty decent race for Monaco. It was all about tactics, could Alonso make a hard tyre strategy work?
It was a master class from Verstappen, the team leaned heavily on his skill. Pushing the mediums for so long was impressive.

Alonso was a pit stop behind so if he didn't have to stop again he would have been right there with Verstappen. Doubt he could have won but he could have made it pretty close.
 
Pete Conway
Premium
If you really want to balance the performance of the F1 grid then you could always do it with weight...
I'm not talking about adding a few kilos for a couple of races and then removing it, I mean when a driver gets points he gets that many kilos of ballast added to the overall weight of his car for the duration of the season, every race the point scorers get heavier, and as the season progresses the tail enders start picking up wins and getting their own penalty, then we will see unknown tire wear rates increased fuel consumption and... yeah bring back fuel stops, and get rid of the DRS and the trains that go with it.
That way by mid season anybody could be winning races and the Championships would be less predictable...
I know one thing, (well, 2 actually) the winners circle would be bigger and Max/Lewis/Whoever would not be runaway champions with 2/300 odd points with cars that heavy.
 
S
Badwheels said:
I would bet if you looked up winners of F1 races, say after the era of cars falling completely apart after 2 or 3 laps, you would find track position rules at almost every track in F1. That is why everyone goes doofus when a driver starts anywhere after 4th and wins. Track position is F1 is king at every track. Especially if a couple of teams have a car that is head and shoulders above the rest.

During the first Red Bull Reigh(Vettel) how many times did he have to catch someone from behind ? The Mercedes Reign how Times did Lewis catch someone from behind ? And if they did on what tracks did they do it ?

Yeah the cars are big as sh!t to be on those streets. Monaco ain't F1's issue. To me, it's year after year, of tremendous disparity between the cars that each team puts on the track. I mean Williams is basically the Chicago Cubs, prior to 2016, of F1. Every year they have a sh!t car? Really? How do they survive?

I am not a BOP fan. I think anyone that gets into that level of racing should have the tools to get after it. But they don't. So you have boring races of 1-3 teams, 22 seconds ahead every race, and everyone else, looking like Lego builders.
Click to expand...
I think you are combining two different things, the racing at Monaco and dominance by one team. I’m not talking about one team dominating, I’m talking about racing (or the lack of racing) at Monaco unless you get rain. There is a difference between track position being king and track position trumping everything else. To me, Monaco isn’t really much of a race, it’s a spectacle.

During Vettels reign and Lewis reign, there was passing. But incredibly rarely at Monaco.

If people enjoy Monaco Sundays, then so be it. Outside of rain, I think it’s dull event to show off wealth.
 
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Badwheels
Scottt said:
I think you are combining two different things, the racing at Monaco and dominance by one team. I’m not talking about one team dominating, I’m talking about racing (or the lack of racing) at Monaco unless you get rain. There is a difference between track position being king and track position trumping everything else. To me, Monaco isn’t really much of a race, it’s a spectacle.

During Vettels reign and Lewis reign, there was passing. But incredibly rarely at Monaco.

If people enjoy Monaco Sundays, then so be it. Outside of rain, I think it’s dull event to show off wealth.
Click to expand...
Really, most F1 races show off wealth.
 
T
Scottt said:
I think you are combining two different things, the racing at Monaco and dominance by one team. I’m not talking about one team dominating, I’m talking about racing (or the lack of racing) at Monaco unless you get rain. There is a difference between track position being king and track position trumping everything else. To me, Monaco isn’t really much of a race, it’s a spectacle.

During Vettels reign and Lewis reign, there was passing. But incredibly rarely at Monaco.

If people enjoy Monaco Sundays, then so be it. Outside of rain, I think it’s dull event to show off wealth.
Click to expand...
I think there were quite a few spectecular races at Monaco throughout the years. One of it's biggest challenges isn't necessarily racing other cars, but mastering the track lap after lap and making no mistakes. It's a skillset that got lost a bit over the years. The race in 2012 was one of the best races I've ever seen with lot's of overtaking and the historic races have been fantastic aswell. One thing those races make obvious is that the cars are the problem and not the track.

All we need is smaller cars with less downforce and manual h-pattern shifters on top of it. That would make for some great racing at Monaco.
 
Badwheels
Scottt said:
I think there are degrees
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So here is a degree for you. F1 is going to Las Vegas for the first time this year. I had thought about going. I looked at tickets and accommodations. I could actually fly to Abu Dhabi and see the race cheaper than watching it in Vegas.

Vegas hotels are charging a minimum 3 night stay for €799.00 per night. This does not include the tickets. The cheapest ticket is €1850.00. Hospitality, €8,000.00.
 
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Badwheels
tr1v1um said:
I think there were quite a few spectecular races at Monaco throughout the years. One of it's biggest challenges isn't necessarily racing other cars, but mastering the track lap after lap and making no mistakes. It's a skillset that got lost a bit over the years. The race in 2012 was one of the best races I've ever seen with lot's of overtaking and the historic races have been fantastic aswell. One thing those races make obvious is that the cars are the problem and not the track.

All we need is smaller cars with less downforce and manual h-pattern shifters on top of it. That would make for some great racing at Monaco.
Click to expand...
Smaller cars, yes. The shifter has nothing to do with it.
 
muzikant
small cars will not come for the time being. In the early 1980s they drove here with 1200, 1500 hp with turbo lag..... they were smaller cars but not really pleasant either:roflmao:
 
T
Badwheels said:
Smaller cars, yes. The shifter has nothing to do with it.
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I remember an interview by Motorsports Magazine with - I think it was Rory Byrne - asking him how to make racing closer a couple of years ago. He commented that a big part of the passing during the 60s, 70s and 80s happened due to misshifts. Fact is, if you add more human factor to the driving it will obviously lead to more errors wich in fact will make racing less predictable. I don't question that the current F1 driver wouldn't be able to drive with h-pattern cars, but doing it for 78 laps, driving a car one handed is clearly something different than banging through the gears how it is done today. And Lecler crashing the Ferrari 312 a couple of months ago shows that there is indeed something speaking for the argument of making the driving even harder.
 
S
Badwheels said:
So here is a degree for you. F1 is going to Las Vegas for the first time this year. I had thought about going. I looked at tickets and accommodations. I could actually fly to Abu Dhabi and see the race cheaper than watching it in Vegas.

Vegas hotels are charging a minimum 3 night stay for €799.00 per night. This does not include the tickets. The cheapest ticket is €1850.00. Hospitality, €8,000.00.
Click to expand...
Ok, and what do you reckon hospitality at Monaco runs?

And I was more talking about showcasing the wealth and glamour of Monaco, the harbor and the $50M mega yachts.
 
S
tr1v1um said:
I think there were quite a few spectecular races at Monaco throughout the years. One of it's biggest challenges isn't necessarily racing other cars, but mastering the track lap after lap and making no mistakes. It's a skillset that got lost a bit over the years. The race in 2012 was one of the best races I've ever seen with lot's of overtaking and the historic races have been fantastic aswell. One thing those races make obvious is that the cars are the problem and not the track.

All we need is smaller cars with less downforce and manual h-pattern shifters on top of it. That would make for some great racing at Monaco.
Click to expand...
Sure, that would help. But I can’t imagine that happening.
 
Badwheels
Scottt said:
Ok, and what do you reckon hospitality at Monaco runs?

And I was more talking about showcasing the wealth and glamour of Monaco, the harbor and the $50M mega yachts.
Click to expand...
Watch what you see in Vegas. It won't be boats, but it will be over the top.
 
S
Badwheels said:
Watch what you see in Vegas. It won't be boats, but it will be over the top.
Click to expand...
Maybe, but I’d imagine it will be over the top in a completely different way. Regardless I don’t have an issue with Monaco or Vegas being over the top. In fact, I kind of like it. My point was that the spectacle is mostly all that Monaco has going for it on Sunday.
 
deangelis7
I still continue to watch F1 this year only because of Fernando Alonso. If not for him, I would probably have stopped watching Formula One.
Alonso is only reason why my interest to F1 still keeps
 

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