Race in Monaco

Overtaking becomes a nightmare for home sleepers

Over 12,000 of Monaco's 38,000 inhabitants are millionaires - including a number of Formula 1 drivers. Max Verstappen arrives as the world championship leader - but the pressure from McLaren is currently increasing.

"Monaco is always an incredibly busy and hectic weekend. But it's nice to go home in the evening because you're so close to home." Says world championship leader Max Verstappen. But the sentence could also have come from record world champion Lewis Hamilton, Lando Norris, Nico Hülkenberg, Valtteri Bottas or Daniel Ricciardo. They all reside in the Principality for security, discretion and exemption from income, wealth and property tax ...

While Ferrari's Charles Leclerc was born here - the "real" local hero still remembers driving through Monaco on the school bus as a child. "It's the same roads. And now I'm sitting here in a Formula 1 car, which makes it extra special." So far, things have never gone as planned for the 26-year-old in his birthplace. "But I'm confident that we'll be strong this year."

The Scuderia's number one was first on the grid twice, but Leclerc never finished as the winner and never even made it onto the podium. A fourth place two years ago is the best result for the five-time Grand Prix winner, who last won in Austria in 2022.

Even though Verstappen won last year, Monaco is different. The asphalt strip is a maximum of ten meters wide, often much narrower. Overtaking is almost impossible. There have been 30 overtaking maneuvers in the last six races here. In 2019, there were only two on the shortest circuit (3.3 km) of the season with the iconic tunnel, the Rascasse corner and the passage around the swimming pool.

Although Red Bull has recently been under pressure from McLaren in particular, Head of Motorsport Helmut Marko therefore suspects that Ferrari could be the big opponent in Monaco: "I think they are a bigger challenge, because it's all about qualifying here."

Norris at eye level
Nevertheless, all eyes are also on Lando Norris: Second in China, victory in Miami, second again most recently in Imola. The Briton is on a high with McLaren. Especially since the upgrades that the team brought to the first US race of the year, the MCL38 is in no way inferior to Max Verstappen's Red Bull. "I hope it continues like this, it's exciting," smiles the 24-year-old. Postscript: "There's no reason why we can't challenge Red Bull on the next tracks!"