A chat on telly about the mandated two pit stops. “The rules have thrown a grenade into things,” observes the Sky F1 pundit Naomi Schiff. “People might be rolling the dice today, and gambling on what they are going to do. “People further down may be able to put pressure on by taking a different strategy.” What does the Monaco grand prix symbolise in your mind? The magical old-school glamour of motor racing, or modern races so dull they make you weep? Perhaps a bit of both. Regardless of Monaco’s suitability for contemporary Formula 1, we’ve got a race on today, with Lando Norris of McLaren on pole. His teammate Oscar Piastri leads the drivers’ standings by 13 points (Piastri 146, Norris 133) with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen third on 124: the title race is heating up after eight rounds. The Ferrari of Charles Leclerc is second on the grid behind Norris, while his teammate Lewis Hamilton had an eventful time in qualifying: he crashed in FP3, recovered to place fourth, but was then penalised three positions for impeding. A new rule for Monaco this season states that all drivers have to take at least two pitstops, so that certainly has the potential to make things more interesting. Drivers’ championship leader Piastri starts third and what can the reigning champion, Verstappen, achieve from fourth place on the grid? Let’s find out! Lights out: 2pm UK time
Author: Luke McLaughlin