Lewis Hamilton’s championship is in danger at the Monaco Grand Prix after a lacklustre qualifying session left the Briton languishing in seventh on the grid.
Charles Leclerc will start on pole after a dramatic Q3, with the hometown favourite crashing into a barrier on his final lap, having already set the quickest time. The resulting red flag drew an early end to the session, despite Max Verstappen being on track to steal pole on a track where overtaking is so notoriously difficult.
Nevertheless, it is a terrific chance for the Red Bull driver to make a serious dent in Hamilton’s overall lead, with the seven-time champion lamenting his car’s lack of grip on Saturday.
“The car didn’t feel too bad on Thursday and we made some changes for Saturday,” he said. “We go back to the drawing board now. There is a lack of grip, so that leaves you to overdrive the car and unfortunately it just didn’t improve. It’s a difficult one, obviously. Valtteri was able to get something out of it, but we definitely had some problems today. I guess the minimum will be hopefully finish seventh, and then hope we can get any higher.”
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the 78-lap race.
When is the Monaco Grand Prix?
The race will start at 2pm BST on Sunday 23 May.
How to watch on TV
The race will air live on Sky Sports F1 and Sky Sports Main Event, with coverage beginning at 12:30pm BST.
How to watch online
Existing Sky Sports customers live stream the race via the Sky Go app on a variety of devices.
NOW customers can watch the race through their £9.99 Day Membership or for a Monthly Membership of £33.99, all without a contract. NOW is available via BT Sport and on most smart TVs, phones and consoles.
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Starting grid
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1. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
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2. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
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3. Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes)
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4. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
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5. Lando Norris (McLaren)
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6. Pierre Gasly (Alpha Tauri)
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7. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
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8. Sebastian Vettel (Aston Martin)
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9. Sergio Perez (Red Bull)
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10. Antonio Giovinazzi (Alfa Romeo)
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11. Esteban Ocon (Alpine)
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12. Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren)
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13. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
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14. Kimi Raikkonen (Alfa Romeo)
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15. George Russell (Williams)
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16. Yuki Tsunoda (Alpha Tauri)
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17. Fernando Alonso (Alpine)
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18. Nicholas Latifi (Williams)
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19. Nikita Mazepin (Haas)
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20. Mick Schumacher (Haas)
What happened last time out?
Mercedes nailed their pit-stop gamble as Hamilton came out on top to beat Verstappen at the Circuit de Catalunya.
The seven-time world champion pitted for a second time before reeling the Red Bull in on fresh tyres, eventually passing the Dutchman with six laps to go.
Valtteri Bottas finished third for Mercedes ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez in the other Red Bull.
Daniel Ricciardo was sixth for McLaren, with team-mate Lando Norris eighth. Carlos Sainz split the McLaren drivers by finishing seventh.
What are the standings?
1. Lewis Hamilton – 94 points
2. Max Verstappen – 80
3. Valtteri Bottas – 47
4. Lando Norris – 41
5. Charles Leclerc – 40
6. Sergio Perez – 32
7. Daniel Ricciardo – 24
8. Carlos Sainz – 20
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