Why unloved Lotus 76 may be Colin Chapman's most significant car
A wide variety of Lotus cars are often proffered as the ultimate F1 game-changer – but was the Lotus 76 an unusual candidate which trumps them all?
After Ferrari’s disappointing result in Barcelona, with retirement for Charles Leclerc and a trip into the gravel for Carlos Sainz, Red Bull now leads both championships with Max Verstappen winning the past three races, while Leclerc has just one podium finish in that time.
But what better way to bounce back and halt Red Bull’s momentum, than with Leclerc’s home race?
As ever, qualifying performance is key, with the tight narrow course making overtaking all but impossible on Sunday. With pole position for the race, Leclerc will very much fancy his chances.
Verstappen said after Barcelona that Red Bull must improve its one-lap pace, and it looks like there’s still work to do: he qualified fourth behind Perez.
How will the Monaco Grand Prix play out and will Sunday’s race be the procession people know it for? Below are all the timing details you need to watch the weekend’s action.
Watch the weekend live, or catch up with the highlights. All the timings you need to watch the action in Monaco, are below. Times are BST.
Live TV: Sky Sports F1 will broadcast each session live, starting with FP1 coverage on Friday afternoon.
Live stream: Sky Sports F1 subscribers can stream the action using the Sky Go app. A Now TV sports membership will also allow you to access Sky’s live coverage.
Highlights: These will be available via Channel 4, which will broadcast highlights of qualifying on Saturday night, as well as Sunday evening for the race. For a faster recap, the official Formula 1 YouTube channel will upload shorter highlights soon after the sessions have finished, including free practice one, two and three.
Qualifying | Monaco Grand Prix | |
Start time | 3pm | 2pm |
Live coverage | From 2pm, Sky | From 12:30pm, Sky |
Highlight | 10pm, C4 | 6:30pm, C4 |
Sky Sports F1 will live broadcast each session with pre- and post-race coverage. Sunday’s Grand Prix will also be shown on Sky Sports Main Event up until 4pm, with live reaction over on its F1 channel. Channel 4 will not be broadcasting any of the free practice sessions.
Friday: FP1 – 12.30pm | FP2 – 3.45pm
Saturday: FP3 – 11.45am | Qualifying – 2pm
Sunday: Grand Prix – 12.30pm
Saturday: Qualifying – 10pm
Sunday: Grand Prix – 6.30pm
Sky’s live coverage of each session is available on Now TV with a sports membership, and you can stay up-to-date with the action regardless of your location. The app can be downloaded on mobile and tablet devices. Weekend passes are also available which give you access to all the live sessions including pre- and post-race coverage.
Existing Sky subscribers can watch on a mobile device using the Sky Go app.
The easy answer is Charles Leclerc: six of the past ten Monaco Grands Prix have featured a win from pole, and of the four anomalies, three of the pole-sitters lost the lead in the pits.
Of the remaining race — last year — Leclerc crashed in the final moments of Q3 which damaged his gearbox meaning he was unable to start the race, therefore giving Verstappen an easy win from P2.
Nonetheless, one lesson from the Spanish Grand Prix is that anything can happen and despite Ferrari’s lock-out, there is still a chance that Red Bull could be on the top step come Sunday: the chance of rain brings an extra unpredictable element into the mix.
There will be 78 laps around the 2.074 mile Circuit de Monaco, resulting in a total race distance of 161.772 miles. DRS can only be used down the pit straight, therefore making Monaco one of three circuits to have just one active zone, with the others being Suzuka and Imola.
However, if, for whatever reason, the grand prix is unable to complete all 78 laps, then there is a maximum race length of 120 minutes.
(All times BST)
Friday 27 May | Saturday 28 May | Sunday 29 May | |
F1 | Free Practice 1 – 1pm Free Practice 2 – 4pm |
Free Practice 3 – 12pm Qualifying – 3pm |
Grand Prix – 2pm |
A wide variety of Lotus cars are often proffered as the ultimate F1 game-changer – but was the Lotus 76 an unusual candidate which trumps them all?
Finishing sixth in the Bahrain Grand Prix with broken wrists and a fractured toe, Lance Stroll is the latest racer to block out torturous pain rather than miss a race. Here are some of the most incredible stories
The hot pursuit of keeping up with Red Bull is causing serious headaches for Mercedes and Ferrari, with Aston Martin remaining realistic
Williams was the second-most improved F1 team at the Bahrain GP, with Alex Albon scoring a point. But new team principal James Vowles says that it will take years to break into the midfield fight, as he overcomes the legacy left by seasons of struggle