The F1 field will descend upon the French Principality this coming weekend, Darry Worthington previews the race in Monaco.
The most anticipated race weekend on the calendar is here ladies and gentlemen. Yes, those daring men and their four-wheeled machines will be in the French Principality of Monaco this week where they will take on the treacherous yet charming streets of Monte Carlo.
Monaco Grand Prix
Sunday 27 May
Circuit de Monaco
15:00
Previous Race
Spain saw a return to form for Mercedes with Lewis Hamilton claiming pole as well as the race win while his teammate, Valtteri Bottas took second place to ensure a Silver Arrows 1-2. Things got even better for the Mercedes team as Sebastian Vettel could only muster up at fourth place finish while Kimi Raikkonen failed to bring his Ferrari across the line as he retired on lap 25 with a turbo issue.
It proved to be a much better day out for Red Bull with Max Verstappen claiming third and Daniel Ricciardo taking fifth. The top six was rounded out by the Haas of Kevin Magnussen.
Further down the field, Carlos Sainz drove his Renault to a respectable seventh place finish, while Fernando Alonso racked up yet another top ten finish as he brought his McLaren past the line in eighth. The final two positions in the top ten went to Sergio Perez (ninth) and Charles Leclerc (10th).
Track
We all know how tight this track is. And while for some petrol heads that’s a bit of a turnoff, I’m the complete opposite. Yes, we won’t see as many overtakes as we would in Italy or in Canada, but the overtakes we will see will be full of unadulterated daring and guile. We also likely to see a couple of crashes, as this track punishes any momentary lapse in concentration.
So which of the 19 turns will provide drivers with an opportunity to get a jump on the man in front of them? Well, they could try the Fairmont Hotel hairpin, which is the tightest hairpin turn on the Formula 1 calendar, but that would more than likely end in retirement for them and their victim. The easier options would be Saint Devote – the first turn on the track – or just after the tunnel into Nouvelle – it’s a tricky move to pull off and requires you to outbreak your opponent in the Nouvelle corner.
Onto the weather conditions for the race weekend now and the local weather bureau are predicting no rain for the weekend and maximum temperatures in the early 20’s. So, it will be far from bad race conditions.
Last year’s race was won by Sebastian Vettel with Kimi Raikkonen claiming second place. The final position on the podium was claimed by Daniel Ricciardo.
To Win Race Outright
Sebastian Vettel 5/2 | Lewis Hamilton 33/10 | Daniel Ricciardo 5/2 | Max Verstappen 11/4 | Valterri Bottas 16/1 | Kimi Raikonnen 12/1 | Fernado Alonso 200/1
Value Bet
Fernando Alonso – Podium Finish -Yes @10/1
This certainly is on the speculative side but the return is well worth a little R10 nibble. The veteran Spaniard knows how to produce the goods at Monaco having won the 2006 and 2007 editions of the race. The slower nature of the track will also be a great leveller for Fernando, whose Honda may be able to get pace with the likes of Red Bull and Mercedes
Fastest Qualifier & To Win Race Outright – Sebastian Vettel 33/20 & 7/4
Ferrari absolutely dominated Monaco last year with Vettel claiming race honours and Kimi Raikkonen claiming Pole. I’m expecting a similar result to occur here but with Vettel to claim both accolades.
The German ace has won twice on this track and with Ferrari seemingly running a bit quicker than Mercedes in qualifying, Monaco looks to be Vettel’s to lose.
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