After an exciting series of events in the 2018 Spanish Grand Prix, the next race is in the F1 season is almost upon us! It’s now been almost two weeks since defending champion Lewis Hamilton claimed his second win of the season. As a result, Hamilton was able to establish a 17 point lead over his closest rival Sebastian Vettel. Currently, Hamilton stands on 95 points, whilst German racer Vettel trails in second spot with a total of 78 points. Read on as Karting Nation tells you everything you need to know about the Monaco race which takes place this weekend.
What Time Does The Monaco Grand Prix Start?
Monaco has a time difference of +1 hour when compared to BST. So, you can expect this race to take place between 14:10 – 16:10 UK Time. So, if you we’re looking forward to your lie in this Sunday, rest assured, you’ll be able to have one and still get to watch all of the action!
History of The Monaco Grand Prix
Taking place on the Circuit de Monaco in Monte Carlo, the Monaco Grand Prix is one of the most famous races to grace the F1 Racing Calendar. Like the notorious Azerbaijan circuit, it too takes place on a narrow street circuit – leaving little to no margin for error with a plethora of tight corners, elevation changes, not to mention its world famous tunnel. For that reason, it’s known to be one of the most difficult circuits for racers to master. It has been held a total of 75 times, making it one of the longest standing circuits to appear in the Grand Prix. The circuit measures up to 3.337 km (2.074 mi) in total, making it one of the smallest circuits out of any Grand Prix race. There are 78 laps in total – equating to a total race distance of 260.286 km (161.734 mi).
The legendary Ayrton Senna is the most successful driver to have taken on the Monaco circuit – with a total of 6 wins prior to his tragic death in 1994. He was even able to claim a win five years consecutively between 1989 and 1993 – quite the achievement for such a difficult circuit! Michael Schumacher and Graham Hill were also able to win on the circuit a total of five times each throughout their racing careers.
Who Won The 2017 Monaco Grand Prix?
Ferrari’s Finnish star Kimi Räikkönen started last year’s race in pole position, but that wasn’t enough for him to claim top spot on the podium – he actually finished in second place behind German star Sebastian Vettel. Vettel became the race victor with a time of 1:44:44.340, with Räikkönen finishing with a time of +3.145. Red Bull racer Daniel Ricciardo came in third spot with a time of+3.745. Ultimately, this meant that 2017 title winner Lewis Hamilton failed to even reach the podium – crossing the finish line in a hugely disappointing seventh place.
Who Is Likely to Win the Monaco Grand Prix?
Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel are the only current drivers to have won the Monaco Grand Prix previously. Each driver has won on two occasions, so both of them has proven their capabilities on the Monaco circuit in the past. Hamilton most recently won the Monaco GP back in 2016, whilst his rival Vettel emerged the victor in last year’s instalment of the race.
Considering Hamilton and his teammate Valtteri Bottas finished in 7th and 4th place respectively in the previous Monaco race, it might just be a difficult task for Mercedes to perform well on the notoriously difficult circuit – with Ferrari teammates Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Räikkönen earning 1st and 2nd place respectively last time round. Therefore, Vettel might just be able to close the gap on Hamilton this weekend. However, that of course remains to be seen!
Final Thoughts
The Monaco Grand Prix is undoubtedly one of the most anticipated races of the Grand Prix calendar. So, for that reason, we’re most definitely looking forward to witnessing an epic race, and we’re sure all you racing fans are too! As we always say here at Karting Nation, make sure you tune in so you don’t miss out on all of the action! Whilst the race begins at 14:10 UK time this Sunday, 27th May, there’s also the practice rounds which start Thursday 24th May at 10:00am BST, followed by qualifying on Saturday 26th May with the action kicking off at 14:00.