F1 Monaco Grand Prix 2023 live: Verstappen starts from pole position
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen will start from pole position for the 2023 Monaco Grand Prix after stealing top spot from Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso at the very end of qualifying.
In the best qualifying session of the F1 season so far, the Dutchman made up time on his final lap in the last sector to grab first place on today’s grid ahead of the veteran Spanish driver by just 0.084 seconds.
At the start of the opening session of qualifying, Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Perez fell in the first corner. The big shunt sidelined the Drivers’ World Championship hopeful and he will start the race from the back of the grid.
Verstappen will therefore be hoping to create a huge lead at the top of the title standings with another win here. But with rain storms looming over Monaco during the race today, could another driver further down the leaderboard overtake him?
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Monaco F1 Grand Prix 2023 Live Updates and Highlights: How It Happens
Round 20: Hulkenberg is the next to get past Sargeant after he emerges from the tunnel and dives inside.
Verstappen’s lead is now up to 8.5 seconds!
Round 19: Stroll and Perez also pass Sargeant with a nice play in the last corner. That now gives the pair the freedom to push!
Round 17: What a move by Magnussen! Sargeant leaves a small lead and the Dane steals his place and has moved up to 15th place.
Round 15: Alonso radios in and complains of problems and his pace has slowed massively as a result. His team replies that everything is fine, but the drop in pace is interesting.
Round 13: It’s a disaster for Sainz!! He tried to sprint past Ocon as he came out of the tunnel, but the gap narrowed and he broke the rear fender of the Frenchman’s car.
He hasn’t pitted yet but will he be black flagged by the FIA for damage?
Round 11: Ocon is proving to be an absolute bottleneck for everyone behind him. To illustrate, there is a 12.5 second gap between him and Alonso, but behind him are nine riders in the same time frame.
Round 9: Verstappen already has a 2.3 second lead over Alonso at the top. The Red Bull man has the tire advantage as he starts on the medium tires versus the Spanish driver’s hard tyres.
Ocon is now 9.5 seconds behind in his slower Alpine!
Round 5: Haas gave Nico Hulkenberg a five-second penalty for his first-lap antics. He threw Sargeant out of the way and gained four places before having to pit due to damage.
Round 4: It’s like you grew up with Verstappen followed by Alonso, Ocon, Sainz and Hamilton. Replays show the Brit bumping the tires with the Ferrari man, but both survived unharmed.
LIGHTS OUT: We’re going to Monaco and it’s a clean start for Verstappen! In fact, it’s a clean way out for everyone at first until we reach the hairpin bend where several motorists come into contact. Stroll is perhaps the biggest loser as he was crushed into the guard rail, suffered a puncture and has to pit.
Perez is also in the process of switching to the hard tires and he will be running on these tires until the end of this race!
2 minutes until light failure: We’re heading to the formation lap before the 2023 Monaco Grand Prix. Fasten your seat belts!
15 minutes until light failure: The drivers now go to the front of the grid to hear the national anthem.
30 minutes until light failure: The pit lane is open and all cars are on the grid for today’s race. It won’t be long before we start driving here and for now there’s no sign of rain.
45 minutes until light failure: What are Charles Leclerc’s chances of a top three finish today and a podium at his home race?
Well, not great after being handed a grid penalty that saw him drop from P3 to P6 for interfering with McLaren’s Lando Norris in qualifying. He could still challenge but with Lewis Hamilton right in front of him he could be in for a long afternoon here.
1 hour until light failure: Tonight’s Monaco Grand Prix will be Yuki Tsunoda’s 50th F1 racing appearance.
The Japanese rider has been phenomenal for AlphaTauri this season, consistently exceeding expectations by finishing twice P10 and three times P11, while his teammate Nyck de Vries continued to finish at the bottom of the grid in most races.
Tsunoda starts this race from P9 today and hopes for another points place!
1 hour and 15 minutes until the lights go out: Who is most likely to oust Verstappen in Monaco today? Well, that honor probably goes to Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, who starts this race in second place.
Just a few weeks ago, the Spaniard gave an interview in which he said he feels capable of winning a race this season, but will it be today at a track where he has already won twice in his career saw the checkered flag? We’ll find out soon enough if he can outperform his Red Bull rivals and adding some wet weather could greatly improve the 42-year-old’s challenge.
1 hour and 30 minutes until lights turn off: Hello and welcome to The Sporting News’ live coverage of the 2023 Monaco Grand Prix taking place this weekend.
Max Verstappen is hoping to prove his authority in the Drivers’ World Championship standings with another win here, although the potential for poor weather conditions could make this a difficult race.
Starting grid for the 2023 Monaco Grand Prix
| position | driver |
| 1 | Max Verstappen |
| 2 | Fernando Alonso |
| 3 | Esteban Ocon |
| 4 | Carlos Sainz |
| 5 | Lewis Hamilton |
| 6 | Charles Leclerc* |
| 7 | Pierre Gasly |
| 8th | George Russell |
| 9 | Yuki Tsunoda |
| 10 | Lando Norris |
| 11 | Oscar Piastri |
| 12 | Nyck de Vries |
| 13 | Alex Albon |
| 14 | Lance Stroll |
| 15 | Valtteri Bottas |
| 16 | Logan Sargeant |
| 17 | Kevin Magussen |
| 18 | Nico Hulkenberg |
| 19 | Zhou Guanyu |
| 20 | Sergio Perez |
* denotes a penalty of three places on the starting grid
When does the F1 race start?
- Date: Sunday May 28th
- Start time: 2pm BST / 9am ET / 11pm AEDT / 3pm local time
The start of the 2023 Monaco Grand Prix on Sunday is scheduled for 15:00 local time. The lights will turn off shortly after 2:00 p.m. BST or 9:00 a.m. ET.
Below is the full schedule for the weekend’s F1 events at the Monaco Grand Prix.
| Date | case | Time (BST) | time (ET) | Time (AEST) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friday May 26th | Exercise 1 | 12:30 p.m | 07:30 | 21:30 |
| Friday May 26th | exercise 2 | 16:00 | 11:00 a.m | 01:00 (Sat. May 20) |
| Saturday May 27th | exercise 3 | 11:30 a.m | 06:30 | 20:30 |
| Saturday May 27th | qualifying | 15:00 | 10:00 a.m | 00:00 (Sunday 21 May) |
| Sunday May 28th | race | 14:00 | 09:00 | 23:00 |
MORE: Monaco F1 Grand Prix 2023: time, schedule, TV channel, live stream for race week
What TV channel is F1 on?
| United Kingdom | USA | Canada | Australia | |
| TV channel | SkySports F1 | ESPN/ABC | TSN (English); RDS (French) | Fox Sports |
Where can I live stream F1?
| United Kingdom | USA | Canada | Australia | |
| Live broadcast | NOW TV / Sky Go app | ESPN+ | fuboTV, TSN Direct | kayo |
This is how you watch Formula 1 in the USA
- TV channel: ABC; ESPN
- Live broadcast: FuboTV / Hulu / Sling TV
F1 fans in the US can follow all the action in 2023 as all 23 races will be broadcast live on ABC, ESPN and ESPN2. Spanish-speaking viewers can find live coverage on ESPN Deportes, although ESPNews and ESPNU also stream some practice and qualifying sessions live throughout the year.
As well as the official F1 TV service, the action can also be streamed live on Hulu + Live TV with subscriptions. Elsewhere, Sling TV will also be showing the action, as will FuboTV in the US.
How to watch Formula 1 in Canada
- TV channel: TSN (English); RDS (French)
- Live broadcast: TSN Direct
For fans in Canada, TSN will broadcast the race in English. For those looking for a French language broadcast, RDS is the place to be.
Races can be streamed on fuboTV and via TSN’s streaming service TSN Direct.
How to watch Formula 1 in the UK
- TV channel: SkySports F1
- Live broadcast: NOW TV / Sky Go app
Viewers in the UK can follow all the F1 action on Sky Sports F1, the dedicated F1 channel. Viewers wishing to live stream F1 in 2023 can do so via the Sky Go app if they are already a subscriber, or purchase a Sky Sports Pass on NOW TV.
How to watch Formula 1 in Australia
- TV channel: Fox Sports; channel 10
- Live broadcast: kayo
Fox Sports will host all races in Australia for the 2023 season.
How to watch Formula 1 in India
- TV channel: N / A
- Live broadcast: F1 TV Pro
No TV broadcaster is currently scheduled to broadcast the action in India this year, although Formula 1 has launched F1 TV Pro in the country for the first time, allowing fans to stream the action live.