Max Verstappen won his first Monaco Grand Prix in 2021 on a bright, sunny and mild Sunday – and conditions are set to be much the same as he looks to win the event for the third time.
After last weekend’s outside chance of rain at Imola failed to materialise, drivers can look forward to another fully dry three days in Monte Carlo for one of the more challenging weekends of the season.
Unusually for a grand prix, the junior series track action begins on Thursday, with both Formula 3 and F2 having their practice sessions taking place one day before Formula 1. The weather around the principality may not be ideal, with overcast skies for the opening day of the weekend, with a risk that the later F2 session could be affected by rain.
For Formula 1, drivers will have clear, sunny skies for their opening hour of practice on Friday afternoon with ambient temperatures cooler than they experienced last weekend at just under 20C. Cloud cover should build up over the afternoon for second practice, but the temperature should remain almost identical to the earlier session.
On Saturday, the highest risk of rain across the weekend will come in the build-up to qualifying with a modest chance of around 22% in the early hours. That is more likely to affect the F3 sprint race and third F1 practice rather than qualifying, as the clouds should start to dissipate into the afternoon.
Sunday, appropriately enough, is set to be the sunniest of the weekend with very little cloud cover to protect the many thousands of fans watching in the grandstands and from the balconies from the sun’s rays. Ambient temperatures will not rise beyond 20C, meaning that drivers should benefit from having an easier time of managing their tyre temperatures through a race where a one-stop is almost obligatory.
Should the expected forecast play out, conditions will be near-identical to those experienced during the last full dry Monaco Grand Prix in 2021. That year, Verstappen led every lap of the race as Carlos Sainz Jnr finished in second and Lando Norris claimed the final podium position in third.
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2024 Monaco Grand Prix
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