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The first free practice session of the 80th Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco lived up to all its promises, with a great battle at the top of the timesheets, in front of a large and delighted audience.
Ferrari got the ball rolling with the two fastest times at the start of the session, thanks to Carlos Sainz and local hero Charles Leclerc. The relay was then taken, temporarily, by two multiple world champions, Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) and Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes). In the end, Sainz Jr regained the lead and held on to it, much to the delight of the numerous tifosi, under the benevolent gaze of his father, a two-time world rally champion.
Red Bull Racing, which has just racked up five wins and four 1-2s in five races (Verstappen 3 – Pérez 2), remained in the background, probably hiding its game in anticipation of Saturday’s eagerly-awaited qualifying session. Two-time reigning world champion Max Verstappen finished 6th in this first of three free practice sessions, behind team-mate Sergio Pérez (4th). The session was brought to a premature end five minutes too early following Alex Albon’s heavy touch at the exit of Sainte-Dévote.
The Thai driver lost the rear end of his Williams and tore off the entire left-hand side of his blue car, while in possession of the 10th provisional time – a very encouraging performance for the English team. The ACM stewards, as efficient as ever, evacuated the car within minutes. The team’s mechanics now had their work cut out before the next session, scheduled for 5:00 pm.
Both Ferrari drivers in the Top 5, Sainz and Leclerc (5th), and both F1 legends, Alonso (2nd) and Hamilton (3rd), showed that they were happy to be back on one of their favourite playing fields. We may have to reckon with them in qualifying on Saturday, especially if the Aston Martin performs as well as it has on previous circuits this season (4 podiums in 5 races) and if the Mercedes is more efficient with its brand new sidepods. Next F1 free practice session is scheduled from 5:00 pm.
This is already the 80th Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco, and the story is still the same: mistakes are forbidden on the streets of the Principality. The favourite doesn’t win every time, even if he starts from pole position. This means that Max Verstappen’s rivals can pin their hopes on an unlikely victory on Sunday, thanks to the weather or race incidents.
“Red Bull is faster than us,” summed up local hero and Scuderia Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc at Thursday’s press conference. And since Charles “doesn’t believe in luck“, he will be relying on himself first this weekend, starting with qualifying on Saturday. If, as in 2021 and 2022, he manages to set the fastest time, he will start from pole position and have a better chance of winning for the first time in Monaco, on these streets he’s known by heart since he was a child.
“I’ve got friends on every street corner, some of them watching me go by from their terraces,” Leclerc smiled on Thursday. “Saturdays here often go well, we just have to do better on Sundays,” he added. On Friday, to prepare well for “the best qualifying session of the year“, Leclerc will have to manage the two free practice sessions well. As for a renewal of his contract, or the possible arrival of a new team-mate in the Scuderia, Lewis Hamilton or another, “we’ll see later”, said the Monegasque.
Last year’s winner in Monaco, and already twice victorious in five races this year, Checo Pérez trails Max Verstappen in the overall standings by just 14 points. He is keen to keep the suspense alive: “Monaco is not the strongest circuit” for Red Bull”.
Alonso still eager to win
In the provisional championship standings, there are two very big names in 3rd and 4thplaces, Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton. The two absolute stars of F1, who have amassed nine world titles to their name, seemed very serene at Thursday’s press conference.
“I’d be lying if I said I don’t think I can win when I arrive at a race, especially if it’s on a specific track like Singapore or Monaco,” said the Spaniard, very satisfied with his start to the season: 4 podiums in five races, 75 points amassed, an unexpected result with Aston Martin, his new team.
“Nando” has not won in F1 since 2013, but he’s so enthusiastic that he still believes he could be around in 2026, when Aston Martin becomes powered by Honda engines, against the backdrop of new technical regulations. “I’ll be 44 years old,” he says, with a caveat: “I won’t be in F1 if I’m not as fresh, as fast, as sharp, as motivated as I am today. One day, I’ll wake up and I will raise my hand,” warned the two-time world champion.
Hamilton optimistic
Inseparable in victory and failure, Alonso and Hamilton are often battling it out this season for a place on the podium with the two Red Bull drivers. On Thursday, the Spaniard made a friendly jibe at the Englishman, whom some media are already sending to Ferrari next year: “Lewis always says that in a team, you win together and you lose together. So if he keeps losing, he has to stay with Mercedes…“.
The seven-time world champion is in the process of finalizing a contract renewal with the German team, and “there are just a few small details left to sort out”. As for this season, which has only just begun, he remains very optimistic: “My team is working incredibly hard, and you learn more from defeat than from victory. We have new people in our team, who are really hungry, and updates that were already ready for Imola. We know the direction we need to follow in order to get closer to the guys in front”.
Stay tuned tomorrow, at 1.30 p.m. and 5.00 p.m., for two eagerly-awaited free practice sessions.
The Porsche Supercup may have found its master again, in the person of Larry ten Voorde. The Dutch driver, twice crowned champion in 2020 and 2021, finished at the top of the timesheets, as he often does, in the free practice session of his favorite category, interrupted several times by red flags late Thursday afternoon in the streets of the Principality.
Defeated for the title, last year, by Luxemburg’s Dylan Pereira, ten Voorde was 4 tenths of a second ahead of France’s Dorian Boccolacci, 3rd in 2021 and 2nd in 2022… behind him, in Monaco. With a best lap posted at 1:34.316, the Dutchman marked his territory and showed all his rivals that he was again the huge favourite for this 2023 edition. On a circuit where Porsche Supercup is starting its 31st season, following the cancellation last week of the Imola meeting.
A third driver is hoping to join the fight for the podium on Sunday: Harry King, the Briton from Lechner Racing, took 3rd place in this one and only free practice session. He will have to wait until 6.45pm on Friday evening, after both F1 free practice sessions, to try and deny ten Voorde and Boccolacci pole position. This will be anything but easy. The race is scheduled for noon on Sunday.
The three support categories of the 80th Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco are now in charge, since last year, of opening the party on Thursday afternoon, with three free practice sessions that are crucial for fine-tuning the cars before Friday’s qualifying sessions. With a large contingent of French and Monegasque drivers at the wheel.
The first free practice session on the day’s menu, at 1:30 pm, was due to mark a great comeback for F3s in the Principality, after a long absence since 2005. An absence filled by GP3 and Formula Regional Alpine. The last time F3 raced in the streets of Monaco, a certain Lewis Hamilton took two wins in two F3 Euroseries races, before moving up to F1 two years later, with McLaren.
German Oliver Goethe, who holds a driving license at Automobile Club de Monaco (ACM), is starting F3 this year and holds 6th place in the series after four races. His compatriot Sophia Floersch, returns to F3 after a stint in endurance racing. She suffered an horrendous crash at Macau F3 GP in 2018. She is the only female representative this weekend in Monaco, in a championship dominated until now by Brazilian hopeful Gabriel Bortoleto.
From 3:00 pm, the Gang of Five of Formula 2 was announced, starting with Théo Pourchaire (ART GP), the leader of the championship after four rounds and eight races. The local man, from Grasse, has already won in F2 in Monaco two years ago, and he holds a three-point only lead (65 to 62) over Dane Frederik Vesti (Prema), whom he will have to watch out for all weekend.
Pourchaire leads the list of French-speaking drivers, with a very talented compatriot in his team, Victor Martins, a member of the Alpine drivers’ Academy, who is making his debut in F2 after winning the F3 title last year. Also worth watching closely are Clément Novalak (Trident), in his second F2 season, and two other debutants, Arthur Leclerc (DAMS), Charles’ brother, and Isack Hadjar (HiTech), winner of the 2021 Formula Regional Alpine race in Monaco. The same year as Pourchaire in F2.
The grand master of Porsche Supercup, Larry ten Voorde, lost his crown last year. For the 31st season in the history of this very spectacular category, the experienced Dutchman will try to regain his domination. We may start to find out this Thursday, from 4:30 pm, if Frenchman Dorian Boccolacci, 3rd in 2021 and 2ndin 2022, is able to climb on the highest step of the princely podium, on Sunday morning…
A special programme for this 80th edition.
For viewers from France and the Principality of Monaco, a full live programme is waiting for you, including the broadcasting of all the sessions on Monaco Info.
This weekend will also be an opportunity for the Canal+ group to celebrate 10 years anniversary of broadcasting Formula 1 on its channels. A studio will be set up on the Port and will receive numerous guests throughout the event. Canal+ viewers will be joined by four-time winner Alain Prost for the commentary. A special anniversary documentary will also be broadcast on Sunday morning for the occasion.
For the third year in a row, the Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco Trophy will be presented in a bespoke Louis Vuitton Travel Case as part of an ongoing partnership between the Maison and the Automobile Club de Monaco.
Hand-crafted in the House’s historic Asnières workshop on the outskirts of Paris, the trunk showcases Louis Vuitton’s traditional know-how while drawing inspiration from the heritage of the Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco.
The iconic Monogram canvas is adorned with the red shade of the Monaco flag while the red lines, tracing the “V” for “Victory”, are rimmed with a white strip, reminiscent of the unique urban route of the track where driving excellence goes hand in hand with power and precision.
This tailor-made trunk, in the colours of the Principality, will hold the trophy depicting the 19 turns of the 3.337-km track. The trophy will be awarded to the winner of the Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco 80th edition. Stay tuned on Sunday, May 28th, for the Podium Ceremony.
The Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco 2023 is coming soon! The most awaited weekend of the year will take place from Thursday 25 to Sunday 28 May. A rich sporting programme awaits you with practice sessions, qualifying and races in Formula 1, Formula 2, Formula 3 and Porsche Supercup, all in the very special setting and atmosphere of the Principality of Monaco.
Although Sunday 28 May is sold out, tickets are still available for Thursday 25, Friday 26 May and some for Saturday 27 May. Don’t wait any longer!
Find the different ticketing points and their opening hours below:
To enjoy an immersive experience, join us to the Fan Zone MGPLive located at Place d’Armes, with free entrance! Many activities are waiting for you: live drivers’ interviews, simulators, pit stop challenge, diffusion of the track sessions, live music…
Opening days and hours:
Dress in the colours of the Monaco Grand Prix
You can also find the different points of sale of the Official Shop of the ACM:
For any other questions, please consult our FAQs.
New Zealander Nick Cassidy (Envision Racing), who started 9th on the grid, won the 6th Monaco E-Prix on Saturday, holding off his fellow Kiwi Mitch Evans (Jaguar TCS) and England’s Jake Dennis (Avalanche Andretti) until the end of a very exciting race.
This is the 2nd straight win for Cassidy this season, after the second race in Berlin last month. And the 3rd consecutive podium for Evans in Monaco, after a 3rd place in 2021 and a 2nd place in 2022. The Envision driver takes the lead in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.
After a disappointing qualifying session, Cassidy took a great start, then passed Evans at the right time and never gave in to the Jaguar driver’s pressure. The race ended in slow motion, behind the Safety Car, following a collision at Sainte Devote between Sam Bird, the other Jaguar driver, and Nico Müller (ABT Cupra).
It may be a surprise for some but it is a well-deserved result for the NEOM McLaren Team, on his debut season in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship: rookie Jake Hughes, contesting his first season in Formula Electric, will start on pole position for the second time this season, this Saturday at 3:03 pm local time. He earned that privilege at the 6th Monaco E-Prix at the end of a qualifying session that concluded with a stewarts decision: his rival in the final Duel, Frenchman Sacha Fenestraz (Nissan), used too much power in his last qualifying lap, so he will start next to Jake Hughes, but still on the front row of the grid, this Saturday afternoon.
Fenestraz, a Franco-Argentinian 23-year-old, first got through a very tough Group A, from which Stoffel Vandoorne and Jean-Eric Vergne, the two DS Penske drivers, were eliminated, as was the championship leader, Pascal Wehrlein (TAG Heuer Porsche). Group A was dominated by his Nissan teammate, Norman Nato, and the Top 4 was completed by Dan Ticktum (NIO333) and Mitch Evans (Jaguar TCS), the poleman last year.
Group B was also very intense, concluded with a Top 4 made of two Monaco-based Maserati drivers, Maximilian Günther and Edoardo Mortara, a NEOM McLaren driven by Jake Hughes, and Sergio Sette Camara in the other car entered by NIO333. The Duels could start and the quarter-finals looked exciting: Fenestraz dominated Ticktum, then Nato joined him in the semi-finals by beating Evans. In the other half of the board, Hughes beat one Maserati, Mortara‘s, and the other one, Günther‘s, lost on the track but then benefited from Sette Camara‘s time being wiped out.
Both Nissan drivers had to fight it out in the first semi-final and Fenestraz beat Nato in style: a record time of 1:28.773 for the Franco-Argentinian, the first driver to go under the 1:29 mark on Saturday, posting the new Circuit de Monaco record in an electric car. And achieving a second pole position this year after the one in Cape Town for Round 5, on the day he also posted the highest average speed (159.4 km/h), over one lap, in the history of Formula E.
Then Günther could do nothing in the other semi-final against Hughes, who set a time of 1:28.942. The final was won by Fenestraz, as Hughes made a small mistake when braking at the harbour chicane, losing a few precious tenths. Then Fenestraz lost the benefit of his performance, for having used too much power at that time, in excess of the 350 kW limit. He will console himself with a front row finish, next to Hughes on the first row, on Saturday at 15:03 CET. Keep watching…
My first is the reigning world champion and has already won in Monaco, in GP2 and Formula E.
My second has just won two races out of three this year and is a Monaco resident, just like my first.
My third lives very close to the Principality and has driven for Monegasque team Venturi.
Belgian Stoffel Vandoorne (DS Penske), New Zealander Mitch Evans (Jaguar) and Cannes-born Norman Nato (Nissan) have fond memories of Monaco races, so they talked about them in front of ACM cameras.
In a long format posted on the ACM YouTube channel, Vandoorne recalls his first visit to Monaco, in 2013, racing in the World Series by Renault. For Evans, it was for a GP3 race, in 2012, in his debut season concluded by the championship title. For Nato, it was at the Monaco Kart Cup, then a prestige race for all the young kartmen of the region. In the last edition of the event, Charles Leclerc also won, just like Nato, but in a different category.
“It’s a special place, everything is clean, there are beautiful cars in the streets, and it’s a great place to relax between races,” says the Belgian. When the Mercedes EQ team left the sport, after four consecutive world titles (drivers and constructors, two years in a row), Vandoorne started a new adventure with DS Penske, alongside Jean-Eric Vergne. He really appreciates the Monaco circuit and will enjoy it even more on Saturday at the wheel of a more powerful, lighter and therefore faster GEN3 single-seater.
For Evans, one of the major players in Formula E, Monaco has become a second home, several thousand kilometers from his native country. Like Vandoorne, he especially likes the Bureau de Tabac section on the harbour, because it is “very fast” and “difficult to get it right from start to finish.” For Nato, the favorite section is the Place du Casino, because “it’s an incredible feeling to pass there, very fast, with a race car”.
“It’s a perfect circuit for Formula E, you can be very creative and overtake just about anywhere,” adds Evans, pointing out the number of overtakes at any Monaco E-Prix, compared to other categories racing every year in May in the streets of the Principality. The other interest of Monaco, for the three local drivers, is that the asphalt is always of good quality, and often new, which ensures a very good grip.
For Nato, the Monaco E-Prix is always an “exciting” race and for Evans it is above all “unpredictable”. So the Kiwi driver does not make any prediction for Saturday, but he would like to do slightly better than usual: he almost won in 2021 and finished second in 2022, behind a Belgian guy called… Stoffel Vandoorne!
