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Gabriele Mini (Hi Tech) had set the fastest time in free practice on Thursday. He did it again and will start from pole position at 8:00 a.m. on Sunday for the feature race in Formula 3 at Monaco Grand Prix.
Sweden’s Dino Beganovic (Prema Racing) needed just 16 minutes on Friday to set the fastest Group A time in F3, in a qualifying session held on a perfectly dry, sunny track. A time of 1:23.880 put him ahead of two Hi Tech drivers, Briton Luke Browning and Colombian Sebastian Montoya.
When Group B entered the track, the level was raised a notch and another Hi Tech driver, Italy’s Gabriele Mini, jumped to the top of the timesheet. A member of the Ferrari drivers Academy, Mini further improved his time at the end of the session (1:23.278), to finish this session ahead of Estonian Paul Aron (Prema) and Brazilian Caio Collet (Van Amersfoort Racing).
Mini will not only be on the front row at 8:00 a.m. on Sunday for the long F3 race, he will also be on pole position, having beaten Beganovic by around half a second. And improving his best time on Thursday by almost three seconds.
As for Oliver Goethe, the young German member of Automobile Club de Monaco, who debuts this year in F3, he took a very encouraging 9th place in Group A, enough to aim for a nice finish on Sunday, for the comeback of F3 in the Principality’s sporting calendar.
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.
Red Bull’s Japanese hopeful Ayumu Iwasa (DAMS) set the fastest time of the afternoon with three minutes remaining in the Formula 2 free practice session, ahead of last year’s F3 champion Victor Martins (ART GP) and Dutchman Richard Verschoor (Van Amersfoort).
Verschoor caused a third red flag in this session and cut short the proceedings, hitting the wall just before the tunnel, with two minutes to go. This did not prevent Arthur Leclerc (DAMS), Charles’ brother and a F2 rookie, from taking a very encouraging 4th place. Whereas Théo Pourchaire (ART GP), the championship leader after four rounds and eight races, had to settle for 10th place.
Pourchaire already won the main F2 race in Monaco two years ago. He has only a three-point lead (65 to 62) over Denmark’s Frederik Vesti (Prema), who narrowly edged him on Thursday afternoon: by just three tenths of a second, which bodes well for a mouth-watering duel this weekend, either at the head of the pack or in the heart of the field.
The two other French drivers, Clément Novalak (Trident), in his second F2 season, and Isack Hadjar (HiTech), another winner in Monaco in 2021, in Formula Regional Alpine, finished close, respectively in 14th and 12th places, with only a tenth of a second between them. Next session is scheduled for Friday, starting at 3:10 pm, for two groups of cars in the qualifications. It will probably be close, very close.
The one and only free practice session for Formula 3 started on a wet track, then it ended in the sun in the early afternoon. The young F3 drivers were wide awake, some of them made mistakes, without too much damage, and several of them went to the top of the time sheet. Finally, an Italian, who is supported by Ferrari, set the fastest time at the very end of the session: Gabriele Mini (HiTech), with an impressive 1:26.686 in such conditions.
Mini, a member of the Ferrari Drivers Academy, was 233/1000 of a second faster than Argentina’s Franco Colapinto (MP Motorsport), who had been the first to make his presence felt at the start of the session, before his time was improved by Great Britain’s Luke Browning (Hi Tech), the provisional leader at the halfway point.
The session was then briefly interrupted by a red flag, time to evacuate the car of another young British driver, Jonny Edgar (MP Motorsport), who had made a mistake when arriving at the Place du Casino. The last 15 minutes were much more animated, with drivers switching to slicks to climb to the top of the timesheet. And Browning stayed out front for a long time, with a time of 1:36.015, bettered by Colapinto’s 1:30.102 with two minutes to go.
At the end of the session, Mini and Colapinto were joined in the top three by Grégoire Saucy (ART GP), followed in the final standings of these first free practice session by Josep Maria Marti (Campos) and Brazilian leader of the championship, Gabriel Bortoleto (Trident).
German Oliver Goethe (Trident), a member of Automobile Club de Monaco (ACM), who is making his F3 debut, made a mistake at the end of the session, shooting straight at Sainte-Dévote, and had to be content with the 28th time, out of 30. His compatriot Sophia Floersch (PHM Racing by Charouz), who is returning to F3 this year, managed to get into the Top 20 of this inaugural session. Ready for Friday morning, from 11:10 am, for the qualifying session.
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).
