Perhaps the most watched race in the entirety of the F1 calendar, the Monaco Grand Prix takes places this weekend. Max Verstappen snatched the lead of the Drivers’ Championship last week after Leclerc had a DNF.
Can Leclerc take back the lead at his home race? How will the new 2022 cars cope in the tight street circuit? And will we see a rainy day at Monte Carlo? Here’s what to expect at the Monaco Grand Prix.
The Silver Arrows might shoot their shot!
With Mercedes taking the third place on the podium last weekend, we might get to see a three team race this weekend. The usual suspects, Ferrari and Redbull, will be fighting for that first place, but perhaps we’ll see the Silver Arrows giving it a fair go too. The nature of Monaco and its tight corners mean that the cars will be going much slower than usual. This means less porpoising, which has been one of Mercedes’ biggest struggles this year. It’s looking like Russell and Hamilton will be in the mix for grabbing that all important Pole position.
Can Leclerc break the Monaco curse?
All eyes will be on Charles Leclerc this weekend. He’s notorious for his bad luck at his home race. Luck may be on his side this year as he’s having a great season so far. Plus, he’s already crashed at Monaco this year, at the Monaco Historic Grand Prix. He may have got the bad luck out of his system now, so he’s ready to perform at the GP this weekend. His teammate too is under scrutiny at the minute, as Sainz cannot seem to have a race with no drama. Fingers crossed for the Ferrari pair this weekend; they’ll need it.
New Cars, Same Mistakes?
How will the new cars cope at Monaco? There’s been some changes to the cars, including the fact that they’re much heavier than last year. They’re a lot tougher to handle now. We’ve seen and heard plenty of drivers talk about their struggles in getting used to these new cars. The cars are especially tough to handle in slower sections and, unfortunately for the drivers, there’s a lot of slower sections in Monaco! The chances of seeing a safety car at Monaco are very likely, especially with the drivers trying to find a happy medium of flirting with the barriers and avoiding them!
Can Mick make it in Monaco?
For two weeks now F1 fans have waited for Mick Schumacher to get his first points in F1. Will the German do it this weekend? His father, Michael, has won the Monaco GP five times. No matter who you support in F1, one thing that will please everyone is Mick getting his points. Hopefully Monaco is the place to do it.
Until 29 May, we’ll have to wait and see what happens. Will Verstappen retain his lead and keep his reigning win at Monaco? Only time will tell.
