Max Verstappen overtakes Fernando Alonso from Monaco Grand Prix pole with blistering final lap

F1 begins its most glamorous and prestigious weekend at the 69th Monaco Grand Prix.

Everyone is chasing Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez as the Red Bull duo alternated wins to open the season and lead the Drivers’ Championship standings by a wide margin. With overtaking other cars even more difficult within the tight confines of Monaco, qualifying and pit lane performance are both crucial, which could open the door for Monaco native Charles Leclerc of Ferrari.

Here’s what you need to know before the Monaco Grand Prix:

Monaco Grand Prix Starting Grid

  1. Max Verstappen (1), Red Bull-Honda RBPT

  2. Fernando Alonso (14), Aston Martin-Mercedes

  3. Esteban Ocon (31), Alpine-Renault

  4. Carlos Sainz (55), Ferrari

  5. Lewis Hamilton (44), Mercedes

  6. Charles Leclerc (16), Ferrari

  7. Pierre Gasly (10), Alpine-Renault

  8. George Russell (63), Mercedes

  9. Yuki Tsunoda (22), AlphaTauri-Honda RBPT

  10. Lando Norris (4), McLaren-Mercedes

  11. Oscar Piastri (81), McLaren-Mercedes

  12. Nyck De Vries (21), AlphaTauri-Honda RBPT

  13. Alexander Albon (23), Williams-Mercedes

  14. Lance Stroll (18), Aston Martin-Mercedes

  15. Valtteri Bottas (77), Alfa Romeo-Ferrari

  16. Logan Sargeant (2), Williams-Mercedes

  17. Kevin Magnussen (20), Haas-Ferrari

  18. Nico Hulkenberg, (27), Haas-Ferrari

  19. Zhou Guanyu (24), Alfa Romeo-Ferrari

  20. Sergio Perez (11), Red Bull-Honda RBPT

2023 Monaco Grand Prix TV/streaming program

All times Eastern

Sunday
7:30 a.m. to 8:55 a.m.: Pre-race show (ABC, ESPN app, F1 TV)
8h55-11h: Monaco Grand Prix (ABC, ESPN app, F1 TV)

2023 Monaco Grand Prix Details

Track: Circuit de Monaco (Monte Carlo, Monaco), 2.047 mile street circuit, 19 corners
Length: 78 laps for 161 miles.
Lap record: 1:12.909 (Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, 2021)
Tire compounds: C3 (hard), C4 (medium), C5 (soft)

Formula One F1 - Monaco Grand Prix - Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo, Monaco - May 29, 2022 Red Bull's Sergio Perez celebrates after winning the Pool race via REUTERS/Christian Bruna

Red Bull’s Sergio Perez won the Monaco F1 Grand Prix last year and enters this year as one of the favourites. (REUTERS/Christian Bruna)

Verstappen tops timesheets on Friday; Sainz crashes

Verstappen’s lap of 1:12.462 in Free Practice 2 was the fastest in Friday’s practice sessions, just 0.065 ahead of Leclerc. Leclerc’s Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz set the third-fastest time in FP 2 at 1:12.569 – and had been fastest in FP1 – but the Spaniard clipped the wall exiting the pool section and destroyed its right front suspension.

Top drivers and best bets for the Monaco Grand Prix

The Red Bulls enter the weekend again as favorites with Verstappen at +125 and Perez at +350, according to BetMGM. Only four drivers have win odds above 22 to 1.

Better chances of winning
• Max Verstappen +125
• Sergio Perez +350
• Charles Leclerc +350
• Fernando Alonso +450

Qualifying is notoriously vital in Monaco, where overtaking in races is rare. To that end, we recommend taking a look at some qualifying props like: pole margin of 0.251 seconds or more (+250) and any team except Red Bull to capture pole (+110).

Registration for the 2023 Monaco Grand Prix

Max Verstappen (1), Red Bull-Honda RBPT
Sergio Perez (11), Red Bull-Honda RBPT
Charles Leclerc (16), Ferrari
Carlos Sainz (55), Ferrari
Lewis Hamilton (44), Mercedes
George Russell (63), Mercedes
Pierre Gasly (10), Alpine-Renault
Esteban Ocon (31), Alpine-Renault
Lando Norris (4), McLaren-Mercedes
Oscar Piastri (81), McLaren-Mercedes
Zhou Guanyu (24), Alfa Romeo-Ferrari
Valtteri Bottas (77), Alfa Romeo-Ferrari
Fernando Alonso (14), Aston Martin-Mercedes
Lance Stroll (18), Aston Martin-Mercedes
Kevin Magnussen (20), Haas-Ferrari
Nico Hulkenberg, (27), Haas-Ferrari
Nyck De Vries (21), AlphaTauri-Honda RBPT
Yuki Tsunoda (22), AlphaTauri-Honda RBPT
Logan Sargeant (2), Williams-Mercedes
Alexander Albon (23), Williams-Mercedes

Weather Monaco Grand Prix 2023

Conditions can change quickly on the French Riviera, but currently rain is forecast for Saturday and possibly Sunday. Rain played a part in last year’s race as the approaching precipitation delayed the start of the race as the teams opted to start with the intermediate tyre. About 17 laps later the teams started looking for slicks and confusion on the Ferrari pit wall caused pole sitter Leclerc to drop the lead to exit fourth.

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