Will the pecking order change?
The first big upgrades that teams were looking to bring were for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. However, that race was cancelled due to extreme weather conditions meaning the upgrades should be coming this weekend. Add in the fact that Monaco is an anomaly on the Formula 1 calendar and we could be about to get a different pecking order this weekend. Red Bull certainly won’t want that given their dominance in 2023, but the likes of Mercedes and potentially Aston Martin could give the runaway leaders a challenge if their new parts work well. Also, lower down the field, McLaren, Alpha Tauri and Alfa Romeo will all be hoping that their cars become more competitive.
Can Sergio Perez win in Monaco again?
Last year, Sergio Perez achieved the biggest win of his career when he came home to take the chequered flag first in Monaco. However, this year, it feels like Perez needs to win in Monaco if he’s going to really challenge Max for the title this season. The positive for Checo is in the two traditional street circuit races we’ve seen in 2023, Perez has won both of them and has arguably been quicker than his double World Champion teammate Max Verstappen. I also think Sergio’s confidence will take a big hit if he doesn’t end the weekend with a victory.
McLaren’s new special livery
New for the Monaco Grand Prix, McLaren have brought out a special “60th-anniversary triple crown livery” which sees colours of the cars that won them the Monaco Grand Prix, the Indy 500 and the LeMans 24 Hours. McLaren have done something similar for this in Indy Car (it’s also the Indy 500 this weekend) so making a special livery for Formula 1 makes total sense. I personally think it looks really cool.
Will Qualifying end under Green Flags this weekend?
Monaco Qualifying is widely regarded as the most exciting Qualifying session of the season (mainly because you can’t overtake), but the last couple of seasons has seen Q3 end under Red Flags due to a crash. Charles Leclerc crashed at the chicane after the Swimming Pool section in 2021 (this actually secured the Monegasque Pole Position) whilst Sergio Perez crashed just before the tunnel last season (he went on to win the race). When this happens, the whole session feels a bit anti-climactic so hopefully this year we will really be able to see a thrilling end to Q3.
Can Charles Leclerc finally finish on the Podium in his home race?
Charles Leclerc had a terrible streak at his home race which saw him fail to finish in any race at Monaco (including the junior categories). However, he broke that curse with a P4 finish last year even though that wasn’t great as he started the race on Pole (the previous year he Qualified on Pole, but failed to start the race). This year, Charles Leclerc will be looking to take yet another Pole Position around the Streets of Monaco, but this time, he will want to convert it into his first-ever race win on home soil or at least a Podium.
My Predictions for Monaco Qualifying:
Charles Leclerc
Sergio Perez
Max Verstappen
Fernando Alonso
Carlos Sainz
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