Preview: The 2018 Monaco Grand Prix

It's time for Monaco! The most spectacular race of the season in terms of scenery. We hope you enjoy watching the weekend unfold right here on GPblog!

Ferrari dominated the 2017 Monaco Grand Prix from start to finish. Kimi Raikkonen set a new track record posting a 1:12:178 on the shortest track in the calendar. Valtteri Bottas positioned his Mercedes in the 3rd grid box whilst team-mate Lewis Hamilton didn’t make it into Q3. He struggled to get any heat into his tyres and Vandoorne’s crash ruined his final hot lap.

Vettel stayed out longer than Kimi Raikkonen to perform the undercut on his team-mate. And that was the basic overview for the top 2 on the podium as Vettel went on to win his 3rd race of the season. Daniel Ricciardo was another driver who performed the undercut sneaking past both Bottas and Verstappen. Carlos Sainz managed to keep Lewis Hamilton at bay by finishing in 6th. Hamilton cut his qualifying position in half to finish 7th. Jenson Button made his one-off return whilst Alonso was racing the Indy 500. His race came to an end after he collided with Pascal Wehrlein at the entrance to the tunnel.

1. Sebastian Vettel 1:44:44.340

2. Kimi Raikkonen   +3.145

3. Daniel Ricciardo +3.745

The Monaco track attracts cars with strong downforce because of the slow corners. The car with the best engine doesn’t necessarily win here. A good, solid chassis helps. These requirements cry out for Red Bull. And in fact, all drivers and teams, except Red Bull themselves, believe they are the favourites.

It’s a chance for them to get back into the title hunt. Coming away from Monaco without two podiums will pretty much guarantee them a third-place finish in the constructors' championship.

Speaking of the constructors' championship, Ferrari deny they must win in Monaco, but even if Mercedes gain just 10 points on them, a serious advantage falls towards the Germans. Mercedes will not find it easy. Last season’s race in Monaco was the only time they failed to make a podium in 2017. Even the World Champion failed to make it into Q3.

The hypersoft tyres make there race debut this weekend. As we’ve seen in testing, it’s really quick. Expect this to be one of the major talking points from the green light in FP1, to the chequered flag on Sunday.

The tight hairpin at Monaco could also become extra fascinating. The cars are wider, and turning circles have been reduced. Cars often have to get a pushback 3 point turn when coming out of the pits, but this won’t be allowed at Loews. We think they’ll just about make it around the bend, but one or two attempts might be interesting.

Romain Grosjean has probably been the trending driver going into the Monaco Grand Prix. His attacks and fighting talk towards the media have been entertaining, but will he do more entertaining on track? Monaco isn’t the best place to arrive low on confidence, I’m sure his primary focus is to keep it on the black stuff.

One final note, Charles Leclerc features in his first home Grand Prix. It could get emotional for him.

Constant sunshine is expected to hit the track throughout sessions on Thursday and Saturday. But Sunday is forecast to be cloudy. Temperatures will remain in the 23c-25c range and no rain is expected to fall. The consistency should at least help teams find a good balance for each car. Tires might play differently on Sunday in the shade, but we don’t think it’ll be enough to have to much impact on the race.

As stated earlier, Red Bull is the obvious team to call number 1 this weekend. But they were called this last year and Ferrari dominated. Qualifying is so important and if Red Bull finds clear air, they might just do it. Mercedes, as Hamilton said, could come third. We think this is pretty accurate.

McLaren could be the surprise package. They have the new front wing that seemed to make a positive impact on their results. Will they get similar rewards in Monaco? We’ll wait to see!

Renault as long as they avoid any trouble should make it into the top 10.

1. Max Verstappen

2. Sebastian Vettel

3. Daniel Ricciardo

4. Kimi Raikkonen

5. Lewis Hamilton

That's what we think that will happen, but what do you think? Let us know in the comment section below!