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F1 Monaco Grand Prix – Start time, how to watch, & more

Charles Leclerc has taken a surprise Formula 1 pole position for the Monaco Grand Prix. Here's how and when you can watch the race.

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF21

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF21

Sam Bagnall / Motorsport Images

The Ferrari driver converted his impressive practice pace into top spot in qualifying for Ferrari, despite crashing during his final Q3 run which triggered a late red flag.

The premature end to the final session of qualifying denied his rivals the opportunity to improve on their final flying laps, handing Leclerc his first F1 pole since the 2019 Mexican GP and the first for a Monegasque driver at the Monte Carlo event.

But Leclerc was left sweating over the condition of his Ferrari F1 car which suffered heavy damage in his crash at the second part of the Swimming Pool section.

Despite setting a fastest first sector on his final lap before the red flag, Max Verstappen had to settle for second place for Red Bull, but took comfort from seeing F1 world title rival Lewis Hamilton struggle down in seventh place.

Both Mercedes suffered with tyre warm-up during qualifying, but Valtteri Bottas was able to provide a small recovery to take third place ahead of Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz Jr.

McLaren’s Lando Norris and AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly impressed during qualifying to take fifth and sixth respectively, ahead of Hamilton, who is joined on the fourth row by four-time F1 world champion Sebastian Vettel in the Aston Martin.

Sergio Perez was another to endure a tricky qualifying for Red Bull in ninth place, as Antonio Giovinazzi put his Alfa Romeo through to Q3 for the first time this season and qualified in 10th place.

Mick Schumacher missed qualifying after a heavy crash in the closing minutes of final practice, with his Haas F1 car requiring extensive repairs which ruled him out of action.

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB16B

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB16B

Photo by: Charles Coates / Motorsport Images

When is the F1 Monaco Grand Prix?

Date: Sunday 23rd May 2021
Start time: 2:00pm BST, 3:00pm local time

The fifth round of the 2021 F1 season, the Monaco GP at Circuit de Monaco in Monte Carlo, gets underway at 3pm local time (2pm BST) on Sunday 23rd May.

How can I watch the Monaco GP?

In the United Kingdom, Sky Sports has exclusive live broadcasting rights of F1, with the Monaco GP race shown live on Sky Sports F1. Pre-race coverage will be starting at 12:30pm BST ahead of the race start at 2:00pm BST.

After the race Sky Sports F1’s live coverage continues to follow the post-race reaction from when the chequered flag is waved until 5:00pm BST.

Autosport is running a live text commentary for the Monaco GP.

When can I watch the highlights?

In the United Kingdom Channel 4 is broadcasting highlights of the Monaco GP at 6:30pm BST on Sunday. The full programme will run for two-and-a-half hours, covering the pre-race, the race highlights and the initial post-race reaction to wrap up the major talking points of the race weekend.

For the entire 2021 F1 season, Channel 4 will broadcast highlights of every qualifying and race on the Saturday and Sunday of each event. The highlights will also be available on Channel 4’s on demand catch up services.

· Channel: Channel 4
· Start time: 6:30pm BST

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes W12

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes W12

Photo by: Charles Coates / Motorsport Images

Will it be on the radio?

Live radio coverage of every practice, qualifying and race for the 2021 F1 season will be available on the BBC Radio 5 Live and 5 Live Sports Extra stations.

Coverage of the Monaco GP will start at 1:50pm BST on BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra, available on both DAB radio and the BBC Sounds app.

Weather forecast for the Monaco GP

Current weather forecasts predict overcast and cloudy conditions, but a low possibility of rain on race day. The temperature is expected to be 20 degrees Celsius for the start of the race – about two degrees cooler than the Spanish GP.

How many laps is the Monaco GP?

The race is scheduled to complete 78 laps of the Circuit de Monaco circuit, covering a total race distance of 260.286km.

Will there be fans at the Monaco GP?

Due to ongoing COVID-19 restrictions, the Monaco GP spectator attendance allowance is currently capped at 40% of the regular full capacity for the race weekend with a maximum of 7,500 fans permitted on each day of track action. For the Friday ‘rest day’ the cap is set at 3,000 spectators. All fans are required to follow COVID-19 regulations in the grandstands and around the street track.

Monaco GP starting grid

Cla Driver Chassis Engine Time Gap
1 Monaco Charles Leclerc Ferrari Ferrari 1'10.346  
2 Netherlands Max Verstappen Red Bull Honda 1'10.576 0.230
3 Finland Valtteri Bottas Mercedes Mercedes 1'10.601 0.255
4 Spain Carlos Sainz Jr. Ferrari Ferrari 1'10.611 0.265
5 United Kingdom Lando Norris McLaren Mercedes 1'10.620 0.274
6 France Pierre Gasly AlphaTauri Honda 1'10.900 0.554
7 United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton Mercedes Mercedes 1'11.095 0.749
8 Germany Sebastian Vettel Aston Martin Mercedes 1'11.419 1.073
9 Mexico Sergio Perez Red Bull Honda 1'11.573 1.227
10 Italy Antonio Giovinazzi Alfa Romeo Ferrari 1'11.779 1.433
11 France Esteban Ocon Alpine Renault 1'11.486 1.140
12 Australia Daniel Ricciardo McLaren Mercedes 1'11.598 1.252
13 Canada Lance Stroll Aston Martin Mercedes 1'11.600 1.254
14 Finland Kimi Raikkonen Alfa Romeo Ferrari 1'11.642 1.296
15 United Kingdom George Russell Williams Mercedes 1'11.830 1.484
16 Japan Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri Honda 1'12.096 1.750
17 Spain Fernando Alonso Alpine Renault 1'12.205 1.859
18 Canada Nicholas Latifi Williams Mercedes 1'12.366 2.020
19 Russian Federation Nikita Mazepin Haas Ferrari 1'12.958 2.612
20 Germany Mick Schumacher Haas Ferrari    

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