Formula 1 Preview – Monaco Grand Prix Predictions and Podium

The jewel in the Formula 1 season’s crown returns to the calendar since 2019, after last year’s race was cancelled for the first time since 1954.

Not only do the drivers return to the narrow streets of the principality for the fifth race this season, but there’ll be around 7500 spectators per day allowed to watch over the weekend.

Let’s get serious for a minute and look at which drivers stand the best chance of standing on the podium come Sunday afternoon.

Formula 1 2021 Season Predictions

Starting near the head of the grid is paramount, arguably the most important of any race, due to it being notoriously difficult for overtaking.

Lewis Hamilton is the last driver to win in Monaco and can add a fourth win at the glitzy race this weekend.

However, Red Bull has illustrated that its RB16 is the more dominant car in qualifying and will be favourites to out-qualify the German team.

What to Expect in Monaco

The tight and twisty nature of the 3.337-kilometre track is set up perfectly for the Red Bull to take full advantage of. The Milton-Keynes based team showed prodigious pace in the third sector at Barcelona a fortnight ago, which is similar in nature to Monaco.

The straight-line pace shown by other teams in Spain won’t give them an advantage around the streets and it requires drivers to fully concentrate on keeping their cars out of the barriers.

So we should be in for a great fight between Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez in battle with Hamilton and Valterri Bottas of Mercedes.

McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo is finding his feet in the car and the former Monaco GP winner will seek to rustle the scarlet feathers of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz in the Ferraris.

Four drivers, namely Yuki Tsunoda, Nikita Mazepin, Mick Schumacher and Nicholas Latifi will experience an F1 race for the first time this weekend, so look out for their progress.

At the same time, former world champions and veterans in the field Fernando Alonso, Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen will look to use their experience to get into points scoring positions.

Predictions

Podium: Verstappen, Hamilton, Ricciardo.

First to retire: Mazepin