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The 2023 F1 Monaco GP could not come sooner for the somewhat stop-and-start natured calendar this season.
With the race in Imola canceled, the fans have been left waiting for some racing action this past weekend. Well, that is the benefit of having 24 races in a season. Even if you lose a couple of them, there are still plenty left to make up for the lack of action.
The race in Monaco comes at a crucial juncture as it starts what would be the European leg of the 2023 F1 season. More often than not, the European leg tends to mean a bunch of upgrades making an appearance on the cars.
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With Imola, that was certainly going to happen. The same can't be said about the 2023 F1 Monaco GP though. This is because many teams would try to avoid running anything new on their cars for the weekend (there is a notable exception to this though; we'll come to that later).
In all of this though, one crucial question remains. What can we expect from the 2023 F1 Monaco GP? Well, take a look at our preview for the race weekend.
2023 F1 Monaco GP: Preview
Key storylines
#1 The Mercedes upgrade
As we mentioned earlier, most of the teams may not bring upgrades to their cars in Monaco. There is one exception though and that is Mercedes. There are two ways to look at this as this decision could be termed brave on one hand and stupid on the other.
It is brave because it is reflective of the team's confidence in the upgrade package. The team feels it has something that could help it make up significant ground for Red Bull.
It can, however, be construed as stupid as well because Monaco is not a track where you try to run new upgrades and gain major lap time. It has been a track where you load maximum downforce on your car and let the driver understand his way around the track.
Regardless of what happens, Mercedes is one team that is worth keeping an eye on this weekend.
#2 Rain
Rain is an aspect that truly spices things up in a race like the F1 Monaco GP. However, the overtly cautious nature of the FIA race director has led to a somewhat problematic scenario and an aversion to starting a race on a wet street circuit.
We saw this in Monaco last season and in Singapore as well. It will be interesting to see how a possible threat of rain is handled by the FIA this time around.
#3 The ghost of the past incidents
We'll take you back to a certain race in Sau Paolo last season when Max Verstappen outright refused to give Sergio Perez the position in the race.
The reason behind it? Although it has not been officially commented on, it stemmed from the discontent in Monaco where Perez crashed on his final flying lap in qualifying.
The lap cost Verstappen a shot at the pole position and helped Perez qualify in front of him. What made things worse was the latter eventually winning that race as he was able to start in front of the former.
This time around, Perez and Verstappen are fighting for the title. The battle has been surprisingly close this season and a street circuit has been a forte for the Mexican.
Could we see some shenanigans at play again? It will be worth keeping an eye on how the dynamics play out between the two drivers.
Form Guide
On Form
Winning a race from P9 while your teammate starts from pole must feel special, right?
Max Verstappen is back in form after a surprising race in Baku where he was arguably not focused on the task at hand. The Red Bull driver is in the driving seat, just like he has been for a chunk of the 2023 F1 season.
He will be heading to the 2023 F1 Monaco GP with a score to settle against Perez for what happened last season.
Out of form
McLaren's fall from grace in Miami was surprising for almost everyone involved.
The team showed a significant surge in form in Baku before that and many felt that the car was back to being at the front of the midfield. That's not the case apparently as the team still has far too many demons to resolve.
How the team performs in Monaco will be a theme to keep an eye on this weekend.
2023 F1 Monaco GP: Predictions
Who wins the race?
Surely lightning can't strike thrice, could it?
Charles Leclerc was in prime position to secure a win in 2021 and the Ferrari driver's pole position lap was absolutely stunning. Unfortunately for him, his gearbox failed at the start of the race and he had to sit out.
The 2022 heartbreak was even worse as Ferrari's strategic issues threw Leclerc out of a podium finish after he led the race comfortably for a long time.
In 2023, the Ferrari is not on the level of a Red Bull, there's hardly any argument on that front. There are certain qualities of the car that helps it in securing good qualifying positions.
We've already seen it in Baku and we expect to see it again in the 2023 F1 Monaco GP. Charles Leclerc is our pick to win the race this weekend.
Surprise of the weekend (Team)
Traction zones are going to be one of the more critical areas when it comes to gaining lap times in this race.
Haas has been a team that has shown an ability to do just that very impressively. Can it get that done on a track like Monaco? It's worth giving the American team a shot, especially if we take a look at its form in the last few races.
Surprise of the weekend (Driver)
Lando Norris has been a driver who tends to produce something spectacular when the circus goes to tracks where one can make a difference. The McLaren machinery might not be too bad for the 2023 F1 Monaco GP and if that is the case, keep an eye on Norris to surprise everyone.
Disappointment of the weekend (Team)
One of the major strengths of Williams as a package is the ability to completely blitz the fast-speed sections of a track. That is where the car tends to make up the most time.
On a track like Monaco, the demands are just the opposite of that. For the 2023 F1 Monaco GP, we might see Williams struggle a tad too much compared to the rest of the field.
Disappointment of the weekend (Driver)
Heading into the 2023 F1 Monaco GP, Lance Stroll might feel happy with the kind of season he's had but on paper, it just looks poor in every possible way.
He's not out-qualified or outraced his teammate even once. The points gap between him and Fernando Alonso is shocking. Overall, his racing has not been worth keeping an eye on.
It's hard to expect something drastically different at the 2023 F1 Monaco GP for Stroll. There's a lot of nuance needed to get a strong result on this track and he seems to lack that for now.
