May 26, 2023
F1 is taking a jump over to Monaco after horrific floods and landslides in Italy led to the unexpected cancellation of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix last weekend. While repairs in the region are already underway, there is still a long way to go for recovery. My thoughts are with all of the people affected by this devastating disaster. Now, for the Monaco Grand Prix. The history, beauty, and glamor of the race has made it an iconic event that F1 fans always look forward to. Here is everything you need to know for the 2023 Monaco Grand Prix:
Weekend Schedule (in EST):
Practice 1: Already happened
Practice 2: Already happened
Practice 3: Saturday 05/27, 6:30-7:30 AM
Qualifying: Saturday 05/27, 10:00-11:00 AM
Race: Sunday 05/28, 09:00 AM
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Circuit de Monaco |
Sunday’s 78 lap race takes place at Circuit de Monaco, which runs through the streets of Monte Carlo. The narrow, high-speed nature of the track makes overtaking extremely difficult, making a driver’s Qualifying performance imperative for a good race. This means Red Bull could be challenged this weekend as the Ferraris, Astons, and Mercedes have posed threats in Quali throughout the season. Monaco has provided for some shocking and exciting results, including 2021’s CarLando (Carlos Sainz + Lando Norris) podium. Hopefully the Principality can give us a much needed break from the Red Bull dominance this weekend.
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Mercedes' new upgrades |
Teams like Mercedes and McLaren were expected to bring updates to the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. Unlike the Monaco track, the nature of Imola makes it a great place to test changes made to the car. Some teams might find it better to focus on getting control of the track than to test new upgrades, but Mercedes decided to push the upgrades regardless of where they are racing. The German team’s new package has changes made to the front suspension, floor fences, sidepods, rear wing, and brake duct to improve downforce and aerodynamics. I guess we will have to watch and see how effective these changes are.
Although most of the grid resides in Monaco, Charles Leclerc is the hometown hero for the weekend. The native born Monagasque will be looking to break his “Monaco curse”. Ever since he joined F1, the poor man has had something go horribly wrong at every Monaco Grand Prix. Until last year, he had never even finished his home Grand Prix. I need this to be the year when Leclerc finally breaks the curse, because that man needs some happiness in his career right now.
AlphaTauri’s team was unfortunately affected by the floods in Italy because their factory is based in Faenza, a town in the Emilia Romagna region. While conditions are improving, the team has been busy handling this crisis. I don’t know how much we can expect from them this weekend, but maybe Yuki Tsunoda can get some points to raise the team’s morale.
Honorable Mention:
In the time between Miami and Monaco, the albon_pets got a new horse! This is Snow White:
As always, I am excited for the Monaco Grand Prix. I really want to see another team claim a victory over Red Bull (preferably Leclerc in his Ferrari or Fernando Alonso in the Aston Martin). And it will be interesting to see how Mercedes’ upgrades play out on this track and how they affect the rest of the grid.
I will be back after the race!
Happy Race Weekend!
- Divya
Where I got these
from:
https://www.mclaren.com/racing/formula-1/2023/monaco-grand-prix/guide-to-monaco/
https://scuderia.alphatauri.com/en/2023-monaco-grand-prixview/
https://www.williamsf1.com/posts/63d1a3a5-75d3-4a4e-aa1d-fd2ba65cddab/alex-and-logan-preview-monaco
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/mercedes-explains-the-six-upgrades-on-its-w14-f1-car/10473665/