Starting Grid 2019 Monaco F1 GP

MONTE CARLO, MONACO - MAY 23: Huge crowd support for Ferrari during the Monaco GP at Monte Carlo on May 23, 2019 in Monte Carlo, Monaco. (Photo by Jerry Andre / Sutton Images)

Event: Monaco Grand Prix
Track: Monaco Street Circuit

Start time: 15:10 (local) | 14:10 GMT | 07:10 PT

Again Mercedes scored a front row lockout in 2019. We never saw Lewis Hamilton more happy after he won a pole since a long time. It's also only his 2nd pole at Monaco. It sure will be harsh for Hamilton, because Senna is still the Monaco king with 5 poles and 6th wins in Monte Carlo.

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton has set the fastest-ever lap of the Monte Carlo circuit on the C5 compound – the softest in the Formula 1 range – qualifying ahead of his team mate Valtteri Bottas, with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen third. Hamilton was presented with the Pirelli Pole Position Award by Sir Jackie Stewart, the founder of the Race Against Dementia charity – which benefits from the auction of an identical Pirelli pole award tyre over the Monaco Grand Prix weekend.

Start Grid 2019 Monaco F1 GP

Penalties:

• Antonio Giovinazzi - Alfa Romeo C38 no. 99, 3 places grid penalty for impeding Romain Grojean during qualifying.

Best Tyre Strategy 2019 Monaco GP

The theoretically fastest strategy for the 78-lap Monaco Grand Prix is a one-stopper: no surprises there. And there’s also a very wide pit stop window, due to the low tyre wear and degradation on this famously low-energy circuit. So, the quickest way is to start on the soft compound, then switch to the hard tyre at any point between laps 10 and 22, according to each team’s tactical needs. This wide window also means that teams could potentially take full advantage of a well-timed safety car period: a strong possibility in Monaco.

A slightly slower strategy is to start on the soft tyre and then switch to the medium at any point between laps 18 and 25. Obviously this requires a bit more tyre management, as it involves going further on a softer compound.

Finally, there’s a two-stopper – but this would only be relevant if degradation on the soft is higher than expected, maybe with higher temperatures. In which case, it would be two stints on the soft of 10 to 12 laps each, followed by a final stint on the hard tyre.

KEEP AN EYE ON

• The start. As it’s very hard to overtake in Monaco, the race start is often the best opportunity. There’s a fast warm-up on the soft tyre, which should help.
• Spread out pit stops. There’s a wide pit stop window so we might not see the cars coming in at the same time: they can time the stops to suit them best.
• Safety cars. There’s an 80% historical chance of a safety car in Monaco, which could influence strategy and pit stops.
• The P Zero Red soft tyre. All the top 10 will be starting on this compound, and there’s unlikely to be much of an advantage in starting on any other tyre.
• The P Zero White hard tyre. The theoretically fastest strategy involves using it for the second stint – but there has been quite limited running on this tyre so far.

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