The races are coming thick and fast in what is shaping up to be a classic battle for the F1 title this season and this weekend the championship rivals head to the iconic streets of Monte Carlo for the Monaco Grand Prix.
McLaren’s Oscar Piastri tops the standings after winning four of this season’s seven races but defending champion Max Verstappen got himself back in the mix with his second victory of the year at Imola last Sunday.
Piastri now leads team-mate Lando Norris by 13 points with Verstappen just nine points further back.
The unique Monte Carlo race was won for the first time by hometown hero Charles Leclerc last season but both McLaren drivers will be eager to record their first Monaco victory this time after Piastri was runner-up in 2024.
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Monaco Grand Prix betting tips
Piastri poised to rule the streets
Oscar Piastri impressed at Monaco last season in only his second F1 visit to the famous venue, finishing second to Charles Leclerc, and he looks the correct favourite to go one better this time.
The Aussie driver had been faster in the first two qualifying periods but was edged out in Q3. He can hardly be blamed for not advancing from second position in the race as the first 10 drivers on the grid all finished in exactly the same positions in a real procession.
In order to avoid a repeat, the FIA has mandated that each driver must make at least two pit-stops this year, which has the potential to shake things up.
McLaren have not won in Monaco since Lewis Hamilton’s 2008 success, but last year’s race was held in the early stages of their mid-season improvement and they have gone from strength to strength over the last 12 months.
Piastri’s runner-up finish was his best result of the season at the time so he should be looking forward to returning to the twisting circuit.
Norris has yet to finish better than third at Monaco in five visits and was only fourth last year despite being in the top two in the previous three rounds.
Verstappen won last season’s championship but he could not get competitive in Monte Carlo and his sixth place was the first time he had finished outside the top two when completing the course at the time.
Red Bull upgraded their car at the last race and while Verstappen has won in Monaco twice (in 2021 and 2023), he has also seen his lesser-rated team-mates beat him there a couple of times, with Daniel Ricciardo winning in 2018 and Sergio Perez successful in 2022.
Russell a nice price to challenge top three
George Russell is fourth in the drivers championship with four podium finishes in the first seven races and the British driver is a nice each-way price this week.
Russell has finished fifth for Mercedes in each of the last three seasons at Monaco, beating team-mate Lewis Hamilton in their first season together in 2022, making up three places from eighth on the grid in 2023 and outperforming Hamilton again behind the Ferrari and McLaren duos last season.
Beating Hamilton in the same car around Monaco marks out Russell as a talented performer at the track and the relatively cool temperatures forecast for the circuit this weekend should suit his car, which can struggle for performance in extreme heat.
Russell had a strange weekend at Imola, qualifying well in third but then complaining that his car felt terrible throughout the race and finishing seventh. If the mystery ailment has been tracked down and fixed he could have a more successful Sunday this week.
Tsunoda can bounce back in Monaco
Yuki Tsunoda had a tough time in Imola, destroying his car in a qualifying crash and having to start the race from the pit lane
However, the Red Bull driver made the best of it in the race, coming through the field from the back to take a point for 10th place.
That’s not where Max Verstappen’s team-mate should be finishing but he looks worth backing at the available odds to at least secure another top-10 finish.
The Japanese driver was with the RB team last year when he qualified eighth, only two places behind Verstappen, and finished in the same position in the race.
With a better car this time it will be disappointing if he can’t secure a fourth points finish in five races.
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