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Formula 1
Monaco GP
F1 Monaco GP Live Commentary and Updates - Race
Minute-by-minute updates for the 2023 Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix.
The 2023 Monaco Grand Prix is the sixth round of the season, though was set to be the seventh had it not been for the Emilia Romagna GP's cancellation due to a weather emergency.
Max Verstappen starts on pole for the 78-lap grand prix around the streets of Monte Carlo, having edged Fernando Alonso in a thrilling Q3.
The sister Red Bull of Sergio Perez will start from the back of the grid after a Q1 crash, while Ferrari's Charles Leclerc goes from sixth after being hit with a grid penalty.
The 2023 Monaco GP begins at 2pm BST.
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Ocon sets his best lap of the race but it's over a second slower than Verstappen's personal best. The Red Bull man has inched his lead out to 6.4s over Alonso, and up to 19s on Ocon starting lap 17.
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Russell is told "some medium runners are complaining of graining", presumably to reassure the the Mercedes driver that the hard tyres he's on at the moment is the right compound to be on.
Ocon's lack of pace holding up the cars behind is a gift for Verstappen, who may soon have a big enough gap to slot into after making his pitstop.
We have a fun battle here headed by Sargeant in 15th, with Magnussen, Stroll, Perez and Zhou in tow. Hulkenberg is just a bit further behind.
Ocon is now 16.5s down on the leader in third and a traffic jam is beginning to form, with Sainz not going away in fourth and Hamilton closing too.
"Maybe a puncture," worries Alonso. "All okay," is the response from his team, who confirm that he's not touched the wall. Verstappen now 5.3s ahead on lap 14.
Making a stop at this early phase of the race would plunge Sainz into traffic and make for a long afternoon.
Red Bull will be frustrated at Ferrari's decision to keep Sainz out, as Perez would have gained a position in his charge up the field. He's still down in 18th.
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"I think he moved a bit late in the braking to be honest," bemoans Sainz, who is asking his team how long he'll have to live with the damage.
In fact, he did clip the right-rear of the Alpine and breaks the left-hand endplate on his front wing. Ferrari mechanics ready in the pits for a new one to be fitted, but Sainz continues on for now.
Sainz now looks like he's having a bit more of a go at Ocon, and makes a misjudgement at the Nouvelle Chicane! He almost plunged into the back of the Alpine and has to go over the run-off area.
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"It's all about the left-rear, we're happy to use the fronts to protect the rears," Alonso is told by his team. Verstappen inches the gap out to above 3s for the first time with 10 laps complete.
Perez is right onto the rear of Stroll now as he looks to grab 17th, but making a move won't be easy.
There's been little movement outside of the top six, with Gasly still chasing Leclerc in seventh from Russell, Tsunoda and Norris.
Ocon has fallen 10s off the lead in third, but isn't truly under threat for the position from Sainz. No point in burning up his tyres to stay close to Alonso for the Alpine driver, who is running at a pace he knows can keep the pursuing Ferrari behind.
On lap eight there were just 0.006s between the leaders, Alonso marginally quicker. How much more pace has Verstappen got in his pocket that he's electing not to use to keep his tyres in shape?
Alonso was one tenth faster than Verstappen last time around, keeping the gap at 2.3s for the time being.
Stopwatch
Fastest lap of the race belongs to Perez in 18th at the moment on a 1m16.269s.
The tyre discrepancy between the two leaders means we won't get much of an on-track battle now, but it will become a question of how close can Alonso stay to Verstappen on harder tyres - a bit like the roles played by Verstappen and Perez respectively in Miami.
Russell's start infringement has been investigated and no further action has been taken. No penalty for him.
DRS is enabled, but only Leclerc of the top six was close enough to the car ahead to activate it last time around as they started lap six.
Four laps completed already, and Verstappen has a 2.2s advantage over Alonso, Ocon having dropped 5.1s back.
Penalty
Hulkenberg has been given a five-second time penalty for his lap-one clash with Sargeant.
Stroll got squeezed into the wall by Albon at the hairpin on lap one and then touched him again, damaging the Aston's front wing. He did report a puncture but obviously hasn't suffered one as he's stayed out.
Perez is 18th now after his early stop.
Replays of the start show Hamilton had a real go at Sainz exiting Sainte Devote, but the track narrows quickly and he wisely backed out of it.
Russell could be in trouble as he's been noted by the FIA for not being in the right position in his starting box. The Mercedes driver is eighth currently.
On his medium tyres, Ocon has already dropped 1.7s behind Alonso. He's managing his pace in these early stages to keep his tyres alive knowing Sainz behind has the more durable rubber.
The top six are unchanged as we complete lap one, with Verstappen 1.2s clear of Alonso at the end of the first tour. Ocon is third, then Sainz, Hamilton and Leclerc.
Pit stop
Perez, Hulkenberg into the pits already. Perez onto hard tyres, Stroll reported damage, while Hulkenberg has dropped behind Perez.
It all got tight down into the hairpin section as Hulkenberg launched a raid on Sargeant that led to some contact. The Haas driver is up to 14th.
Lights green
We're green in Monaco! Verstappen uses his medium tyres to get the best launch ahead of Alonso, who slots in ahead of Ocon.
Perez has gone for mediums, Zhou the only driver to go for soft tyres from P19.
Engines are fired, the formation lap is underway.
Verstappen has gone for medium tyres, but Alonso picks hard. The split is the same on row two, with Ocon going for mediums, Sainz for hards, while Hamilton picks mediums and Leclerc hards.
Five different cars inside the top five then, with Red Bull ahead of Aston Martin, Alpine, Ferrari and Mercedes. Which will be happiest come the end of today? Let's get ready to go in Monaco.
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There's no shortage of Monegasque and Ferrari flags flying from the balconies overlooking the circuit. No question of who the local fans are supporting today, but can Leclerc overcome his grid penalty to get back into the podium mix?
Timing screens state that risk of rain for the race is 20%. So there is a chance, just not much of one.
Drivers are getting their earplugs, balaclavas and helmets on. Almost time for business (that business hopefully having been done already).
By: Autosport Staff
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