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The 2023 Monaco Grand Prix is going to feature Max Verstappen on pole for the first time in the Principality. Wily old fox Fernando Alonso will start right alongside him on the front, row hoping to take advantage of any opportunity should Verstappen trip up.
With rain expected to make a fleeting appearance, fans will be excited to see if the race on Sunday follows a spectacular qualifying session. So, what can we expect from the 2023 Monaco Grand Prix? Let's take a look.
#1 Max Verstappen to win 2023 Monaco Grand Prix
Arguably one area Max Verstappen could be vulnerable is the start of the race. Alonso has nothing to lose, as he's not in contention for the title.
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He's going to be very aggressive going into turn 1. Having said that, the short run to T1 also means that the margin for error is much bigger, so it seems highly unlikely that Verstappen will lose the lead at the start.
After that point, even though rain is expected to make an appearance to spice things up, it will be a huge surprise if the new mature version of Verstappen messes things up in the rain. Even though the race could throw a few curveballs in his way, Verstappen is the favourite to win the race.
#2 Rain could mix things up
The rain last year could prove to be a major learning experience for teams this time. Some of the key takeaways was the fact that drivers could gamble on switching directly from wet tyres to slicks and skip the intermediates completely.
One of the reasons behind that continues to be the track's narrow nature, which means drivers are forced to creative lines to pull off overtakes and lose bucketloads of time in traffic.
Having said that, every wet weather race tends to have its own challenges, and that holds true for the Monaco Grand Prix, too. We could see a potential mix-up when it comes to pitting for the right tyre, or a driver ending up in the barrier as well.
While we might not see drivers changing places on the track, we could see a lot of it that the pits. If the forecast of rain holds true, we could be in for an interesting race.
#3 Sergio Perez and Lance Stroll might not score points
Unless something drastic or an unforeseen turn of events takes place, Sergio Perez and Lance Stroll might not score in the Monaco Grand Prix. The duo will not start in the top ten. To exacerbate things, Perez will start near the back of the grid.
Even if it rains and hands Perez a huge performance advantage, the Mexican could be unable to find his way through the field by overtaking drivers. Similarly, for Lance Stroll, the performance gap is not really there.
Even if it was, passing cars during the Monaco Grand Prix might not possible. The two drivers could pay heavily this weekend for a disastrous qualifying session.
#4 Age-old Monaco Grand Prix problem could resurface
As we mentioned earlier, while rain could mix things up in terms of the running order, it's unlikely to see it make much difference to the on-track action.
One of the unfortunate and almost infuriating details about the track is its narrow nature. Pulling off overtakes on this track is next to impossible. You not only need to have a significant speed advantage, you also need the other driver to be struggling immensely.
There was something similar last year as well when cars on slower tyres were able to hold off faster ones for prolonged periods. In essence, Monaco's age-old problem could resurface again in case rain disrupts proceedings.
#5 Podium for Alpine could be on the cards
Esteban Ocon has never been the flashiest of drivers on the grid. Having said that, he surely has made his name as one of the more efficient and consistent ones.
His qualifying lap was just spectacular, and one could speculate that maybe sending him out with three minutes remaining was the wrong decision. Sending him a bit later could have helped gain a tenth due to track evolution.
Coming to the race, Ocon will start in P3 after Leclerc's penalty and will hope to secure a podium. Can he get it done? Well, unless he messes up the start, there's a strong possibility that he could.
