It is finally time for the Monaco GP after a long build-up for the race, including the practice and qualifying sessions, over the course of the weekend down in the streets of Monte Carlo.
The grid for the main race is prepared and so is the track, and with just a few hours to go for the main event, here is all you need to know about it.
This is the first time that the Formula 1 world championship leader Max Verstappen has lined himself up in pole position for the Monaco GP. Although he won the race in 2021, he didn't start on pole that time around.
Here are the official timings for the start of the race in different time zones around the world.
- GMT - 13:00
- CEST (Track time) - 15:00
- IST - 18:30
- AEDT - 00:00 (Next day)
- PT - 06:00
- EST - 09:00
The race could be interesting because of the close competition during the qualifying session. There was hardly a second's gap between the leader Verstappen and Lando Norris, who will be starting at P10, ten places down.
The Monaco GP will be available to watch on F1TV Pro. Fans with a subscription to the same will be able to watch their favorite drivers' onboard cams, a data screen, and a live track map. This will be the only way to watch the race in countries like India, where there is no official TV broadcaster of Formula 1
The official starting grid for the 2023 Monaco GP
The qualifying session brought many to the edge of their seats as many drivers were setting best laps, endangering the ones sitting at the top of the table. Still, there was a wide difference between the fastest lap during Q1 (1:12.386) and the fastest lap during Q3 (1:11.365).
An amazing lap from Max Verstappen put him in pole position. It wasn't seen coming, however, since he was running 0.2 seconds down from Fernando Alonso, who was on provisional pole at the moment. However, he managed to gain 0.3 seconds in the final sector itself, and will now be starting on pole position.
Here is the starting grid for the 2023 F1 Monaco GP
*Charles Leclerc serving a 3-place grid penalty
Charles Leclerc, who originally qualified for P3, will start at P6 since he was awarded a three-place grid penalty post the qualifying session. This was because he impeded Lando Norris inside the tunnel. The Briton was on his final hot lap, meanwhile, Leclerc was on his cool-down lap.