Talking points ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix
Thursday, 25 May 2023
It's the jewel in Formula 1's® crown – and perhaps a chance for Red Bull's rivals to ride their luck in a gambler's seaside paradise. Here's what to watch in Monte Carlo, and why.
After the cancellation of last weekend's Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, Formula 1® embarks on a double-header over the next two weekends. This Sunday marks the 80th running of the Monaco Grand Prix (May 26-28).
F1's® signature event pre-dates the world championship by 21 years, and while the same 25 points are on offer for a win in the Principality as they are everywhere else on the calendar, this is a race worth far more than that. The honour roll of Monaco's winners reads like a who's who of F1®, making this the race every driver covets the most.
Here's three talking points we're watching ahead of this weekend.
Monaco … it's a numbers game
No, not the numbers that come up on the roulette wheel at the casino (important as they are) … Monaco is the one race of the year where passing is close to impossible, yet qualifying isn't everything.
Confused? Don't be. The narrow, barrier-lined 3.337km ribbon of tarmac can make the Monaco Grand Prix a high-speed procession; there have been just eight on-track passes at the past three races combined. Despite that stat, success on Monaco isn't solely dictated by who sits atop the timesheets after Saturday qualifying – just two of the past seven races here have been won by the pole-sitter, with pit-stop strategy having the ability to make or break a weekend. Just ask Daniel Ricciardo …
The real secret to success in Monaco comes when you dive a little deeper; every winner since 1997 has started inside the top three on the grid, so if you're on the third row or further back, your chances are slim. Slim, but not impossible – the 1996 race that preceded the current top-three run was one of the craziest in F1® history, with just three of the 22 starters still running at the end of the race – and Frenchman Olivier Panis winning the only Grand Prix of his career for Ligier after qualifying 14th.
Is this Red Bull's biggest test?
Remember when George Russell spoke for plenty in the paddock after the season-opener in Bahrain, the Mercedes driver openly expressing his theory that Red Bull would "win every single race this season"? The Briton's crystal ball-gazing has been proven correct so far – Red Bull has four 1-2 results from five races this season and is on a six-race winning streak dating back to Abu Dhabi 2022 – but if that run is going to end somewhere, Monaco could be the place.
Monaco's slow-speed layout negates Red Bull's biggest strength, while its class-leading DRS isn't likely to be a factor on a circuit with no straights of note. The driver who has unquestionably been 'best of the rest' this season, Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso, cited Monaco, Singapore and Hungary as his best chances of a victory in a resurgent season that has seen him grab four third places – and one-fourth – in five races to date. Given his form, Alonso snapping his decade-long win drought this Sunday would be a surprise, but not a total shock.
"At the beginning of the year, a podium was amazing – now after four podiums we obviously want more, and at least a second place," the Spanish veteran said after Miami. "Maybe Monaco, maybe Barcelona, we have a possibility ...".
De Vries under the pump
Goodwill runs out fast in F1®; after a stellar stand-in appearance for Williams at last year's Italian Grand Prix earned Nyck De Vries two world championship points and a belated F1® debut at age 28 for Scuderia AlphaTauri this year, things were looking up for the Dutchman, the 2019 Formula 2® champion. Fast-forward through five races this season, though, and the clock is ticking.
De Vries is dead-last in the drivers' standings after a torrid start with AlphaTauri, where he's not qualified better than 15th or finished better than 14th in a race, and has been comprehensively out-paced by teammate Yuki Tsunoda.
Red Bull management wanted to give De Vries the races at Imola, Monaco and Barcelona – all tracks he knows well – before making any swift decisions on his future. Imola being cancelled didn’t help, but De Vries has done well at Monaco in the past, winning the F2® sprint race in 2017, and the F2® feature two years later.
With Red Bull junior Liam Lawson flying in Super Formula in Japan – not to mention Ricciardo doing a seat-fit for AlphaTauri in recent weeks, much as that was mostly procedural – De Vries needs a much better showing in Monaco to silence the jungle drums, and give his confidence a much-needed boost.
The Formula 1® Monaco Grand Prix 2023 will be available to watch live on Foxtel and Kayo. See our What time does the 2023 Monaco Grand Prix start in Australia article for timings.
