Red Bull are in danger of losing their top spot in the constructor standings soon if they don’t keep it tight in the next few weeks, since Ferrari and McLaren are slowly creeping closer.
Yes, Max Verstappen won the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix last time out, but his teammate Sergio Perez was not on the podium, so there’s a sliver of hope for their rivals to close in here at the Monaco Grand Prix this weekend.
Between Ferrari and McLaren, it is the former who has the advantage, and most eyes are going to be on the Scuderia’s Charles Leclerc, who is looking to get positive Monaco Grand Prix 2024 results in his home race.
Without further ado, continue reading below, as SBOTOP is here for the race preview.
Leclerc chasing the elusive home victory
Charles Leclerc is second in the drivers’ standings because he has been in the podium four times this season, but he has never won a single race. After back-to-back P3s in Miami and Imola, the Monegasque driver is hoping to finally win one on Sunday.
Monaco hasn’t been the kindest venue for Leclerc. The 26-year-old has never finished on the podium in his six Formula 1 races at the street circuit, although he has managed to secure pole position twice.
Leclerc won pole in 2021, but he was unable to line up on the grid after his car’s driveshaft was badly damaged in the qualifying. And in 2022, he was unable to maximise his pole advantage due to strategic errors by Ferrari.
Still, even with his past struggles, Leclerc remains optimistic about his chances, given their competitiveness on this track in the past few years.
“We’ve seen in the last few races that Red Bull, McLaren and ourselves are pretty close in qualifying, and we know how important qualifying is here, so we’ll have to put everything together. If we are on pole then that will give us good chances to get what we want, which is a win,” said Leclerc.
“I feel like in Monaco you always start a little bit from scratch. As much as what we’ve seen in the few races, I think it won’t be too different,” he added.
On the other hand, Ferrari could also use a solid performance from Carlos Sainz, who fell short of a podium in three consecutive races after winning the Australian Grand Prix and a P3 finish in Japan.
McLaren trending in a positive direction
After winning his first-ever Grand Prix in South Beach, Lando Norris followed that one up with a P2 outing in Imola. And with teammate Oscar Piastri finishing fourth last time out, suddenly, McLaren are on a roll heading into Monaco.
The Papayas have built momentum thanks to the sizeable upgrades they’ve brought in recently. Norris said that they should remain competitive on Sunday, although he is keeping his expectations in check.
“Of course, the motivation and the energy is very high from the team, because we’ve had some great results lately. If we keep it up, there’s always a chance,” said Norris.
“I think we have a car that’s competitive and up there, fighting with Red Bull and Ferrari like we’ve shown over the last few weekends. But anything can happen in Monaco, so we’re just kind of keeping our head down as normal, we work as hard as we can, and that’s all I ask for,” he added.
History
McLaren may be licking their chops ahead of Sunday because of their impressive track record here at the Monaco Grand Prix. The Papayas have Ayrton Senna mostly to thank for making them the winningest team on this track with 15.
Senna still holds the record for the most wins in Monaco with six, including a five-peat from 1989 to 1993. Graham Hill and Michael Schumacher are right behind the Brazilian with five wins apiece.
Among active racers, it is Lewis Hamilton who has the most wins on this track, with three. However, Fernando Alonso and Max Verstappen aren’t far behind, with two each.
What are the odds?
Despite the imminent threat of Ferrari and Red Bull, the Monaco Grand Prix 2024 odds are still in favour of Max Verstappen, as he is priced at 1.20 compared to 2.11 against any other driver in the actual race on Sunday.
Meanwhile, the battle for the two remaining podium spots is going to be tight, and you can expect Lando Norris, Sergio Perez, Charles Leclerc, and Carlos Sainz to be all in the running, with prices of 1.47, 1.72, 1.80, and 2.02, respectively.
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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