Photo by Danilo Di Giovanni/Getty Images
It’s qualifying day at the Monaco Grand Prix, so let’s do it live
Monaco. The word elicits images of glitz, glamour, and celebrity. But on one weekend each year those images collide with the speed and adrenaline provided by Formula 1, for the marquee event of that sport’s season.
That event kicks off in earnest today, with qualifying for the 2023 Monaco Grand Prix. It is the race that every fan and celebrity wants to attend, and every team and driver want to win. But if you want to win in Monaco, you better be good on Saturday. With overtaking at a premium during the race itself, your odds of victory increase exponentially if you start up front.
Consider this. In the 1996 Monaco Grand Prix Olivier Panis won when he started in 14th position. What was necessary for that to happen? Well, let’s work through the list. First was a heavy downpour prior to the race that soaked the track and caused a delay. Then one of the drivers, Andrea Montermini. crashed during a warm-up session and could not start the race, leaving just 21 cars in the field.
The race finally began, but after five laps only 13 cars remained in the field due to a combination of accidents and mechanical failures. By lap 31, just 11 cars remained on the track, with Damon Hill in the lead. Hill built a lead of almost 30 seconds over Jean Alesi, but a mechanical failure on Lap 40 saw his day end. That gifted the lead to Alesi who held it for around 20 laps, but then his Benetton-Renault failed, and Panis was suddenly in first place.
The race did not complete the entire 78 laps due to the two-hour time limit, and only three drivers — Panis, David Coulthard, and Johnny Herbert — finished 75.
It would be the only Grand Prix victory of Panis’s career.
In fact, since 1950, only 10 times has the race been won by a driver starting lower than third.
So if you want to win, you probably want to do well today.
We will have you covered throughout the entire qualifying session today on a day that may ultimately prove decisive in the 2023 Monaco Grand Prix.
Notes from PF3 and a quali prediction
Photo by Eric Alonso/Getty Images
If you count yourself among those F1 fans hoping to see someone, anyone, knock Red Bull from the top of the timing sheets this weekend, FP3 provided little solace.
The practice session ended early — more on that in a moment — with Max Verstappen and Sergio Pérez finishing 1-2. Lance Stroll, Carlos Sainz Jr., and Lando Norris rounded out the top five.
The session ended early when Lewis Hamilton, after passing Alex Albon on the outside at at the famed Mirabeau corner, put his Mercedes into the wall:
It brought an early end to practice, as well as an early end to what was looking like a strong run from Hamilton. The Mercedes driver had set the best time through the first sector before sliding into the barrier.
Before getting to a prediction, it is necessary to share this photo of the proud parents of Yuki Tsunoda, watching their son bring his AlphaTauri to the track:
As for a prediction, it would be easy to say Verstappen or Pérez, or to say Charles Leclerc, giving that the Ferrari driver has secure pole in the last two races on his home streets. However, we will go a bit off script here and say Fernando Alonso. The veteran driver has seemed dialed in all week, and this circuit could play to the AMR23’s strengths.
We will find out soon enough.
Q1 (All times Eastern)
Update 9:15: We’ve got about 45 minutes until things get underway, so if you have a chance, you can send in your predictions to Haas. I’m sure they’d love to hear from you:
Update 9:22: We’re going to drop down a level for a moment. the F2 sprint race was just completed, and Ayumu Iwasa took advantage of a retirement from Isack Hadjar to take the win, and the championship lead.
Why might this matter for F1? Remember that AlphaTauri driver Nyck de Vries has been given the “yellow card,” according to Helmut Marko, to improve his performance. Iwasa, a member of Red Bull’s junior team, could be in line for De Vries’s seat should the rookie continue to struggle.
De Vries finished in P20 in FP3.
Update 9:36: For those of you who are here thanks to our friends at F1 Underground, thank you!!! They’re the best.
Update 9:39: Will Buxton, speaking on the pre-quali show on F1TV, stresses the importance of making every lap count during qualifying, given the potential of a red flag at any moment. If a driver or a team waits until late in the session to make their best run, or has to wait due to a failure or repairs, it could prove disastrous.
