Grand Prix 2023 Monaco Grand Prix Practice, Qualifying & Race Discussion

Assuming there is no more rain of biblical proportions, this weekend see's the annual F1 parade around the streets of Monaco. As a test of the ability of the driver I suspect there is no race which is more challenging. As a spectacle to watch on the medium of television, which most of us will do, there are few races which are less interesting.

Today's F1 cars are even less suitable for racing round Monaco than, perhaps, ever in the history of F1. At around 5.5 metres long (that's 18 feet in old money and longer than a Range Rover) and 2 metres wide, not only do the cars struggle to go round some of the tight corners of the principality there is also little room on the narrow streets to even pretend to be able to over take. To put this in context, there is a "requirement" to leave a cars width should a driver throw their machine down the inside at a corner. The width of the track at Monaco is 8 metres at its narrowest and 11 metres at its widest. It doesn't take an engineer to work out how easy it is keep another car behind should you really want to. The only track which is narrower at any point is Baku, with that stupid bit which goes through the castle.

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Last year we saw Sergio Perez take third on the grid and go on to win the race. Since then there have been lots of dark mutterings about how Sergio deliberately binned it when the cars went out for their final qualifying laps to ensure that Max started behind him. The race itself started wet and then dried out, and featured the excitement of Mick Schumacher managing to break his Haas in half at the swimming pool complex. The red flag and subsequent delay nearly saw the race end under the two hour rule, but Perez nipped home in 1 hour 56 minutes and 30 seconds. That's an average speed of just over 68 mph, or 110 kmh. The Formula E race at Monaco a few weeks ago had an average speed of 115 kmh. I know, I'm not comparing apples with apples, but it does give some perspective on just how unsuitable Monaco is in 2023 to host an F1 race.

For those in the UK watching live, this is the Sky schedule

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I wanted to include all detail about the reports Ted Kravitz will be providing as I know SOOO many of you on this forum love what he does. Console yourself with this thought though Kravitz's skeptics, Louise Goodman is still wheeled out to cover the BTCC on ITV, complete with her jingle jangle bracelets and the single "what happened out there?" question.

I hope it rains in Monaco, just to spice things up a little. Although the risk there is that Fernando Alonso might win, which would mean building a chimney the size of those Fred Dibner use to knock down to cope with the amount of smoke the Sky F1 team would blow up his a@#e.

The Indy 500 takes place afterwards, so there is something to look forward to on Sunday.
 
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Given the amount of re-working gone into the Merc there are hardly any pictures of the new car on the usual sources. The beeb don't appear to have any and Autosport only has a head on shot.
 
i think this could be a very close qualifying. because i wouldn't rule bar stroll the 7 drivers from the 4 big teams putting it on the front row. they look all look close. if someone hooks up all 3 sector their probably on pole

& barring red flags they get multiple attempts at it. alonso quickest time came on the 3rd fast lap. verstappen & leclerc was the 2nd or 3rd lap
 
i said qualifying was wide open but didn't think this wide open that the top 5 of Q1 would finish as

1) verstappen
2) tsunoda
3) albon
4) sainz
5) stroll
 
Just watched qualifying, and for some reason I can't stop thinking about Sky Glass, Sky Q and Sky Stream.

:thinking:

Halfway through Q3:

Sky commentary.

"With the pace of the track growing whoever starts their run last will he best placed to finish on pole"

Verstappen is the last of the cars to cross the finish line at the end of Q3 and promptly sets pole:

Sky Commentary.

"This is absolutely brilliant. Don't tell me F1 has outgrown Monaco. Etc, etc, etc"
 
im fully with martin brundle, how can anyone want to lose Monaco is beyond me. it is always the most spectacular qualifying of any year. this yr it lived it up to that & more.

i don't know how anyone couldve been disappointed with that drama 4 drivers on ragged edge. Ocon it sticking on pole, then leclerc & then alonso. who im gutted for, i was cheering & willing him on, but take a bow verstappen, because that was an outstanding lap that might be his greatest pole lap to stop alonso being the 5th oldest polesitter & oldest for 41 years since mario Andretti in 1982. because where max found 3 tenths in that final sector i don't know. as he was about to be 5th on the grid & 19 seconds later he'd stuck it on pole
 
just watching the race after work & the premier league final day. on lap 14 & i dont understand why alonso was put on a hard tyres surely he goes on soft tyres & try to beat him off the start or harrie him in opening laps
 
That was spiced up a bit with the rain at the end, although the final result was predictable.
yeah those 15 laps were brilliant to watch. where everyone was tip toeing around trying to survive & there was so many close calls verstappen said himself he was so lucky. as his race nearly ended at portier which would be irony after 2022

but in that 1st 25 laps we got some fun overtaking albeit for 14th

but as i always say cider_and_toast its give & take, you take monaco sunday hoping for the best, for the amazing monaco Saturday. but i would still say that was better than baku & maybe miami
 
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