Live: Drivers expect 'chaos' in Monaco as race day begins with huge pile-ups

Oscar Piastri was searching a fourth consecutive grand prix win and began the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix on pole.

However the Australian needed to accept third, as world champion Max Verstappen produced a flawless drive to say his second win of the 12 months.

The pit lane is now open.

Drivers are heading out to verify all the things is working properly, earlier than they put their vehicles on the grid.

However we have already got points with Oliver Bearman with Haas.

The Haas group left a cooling fan on Bearman’s automobile.

A mechanic ran onto the quick lane of the pits to gather the fan.

That may very well be a no-no. We’ll wait and see if the stewards have one thing to say about that.

G’day John.

The Monaco Grand Prix will start in about 50 minutes.

11pm: NSW, Vic, Qld, Tas, ACT10:30pm: SA and NT9pm: WA

The observe is brief, sluggish, tight, and generally unattainable to overhaul.

The race takes place on the slim streets of Monte Carlo, one of many 10 districts of Monaco.

There are 19 corners across the circuit, which is slim, picturesque, and plagued by heavy braking zones.

There may be one DRS zone, down the principle straight between flip 19 and into flip 1.

Monaco is a circuit infamous for a scarcity of overtaking alternatives. The 2003 race had a complete of zero overtaking strikes on observe.

The most effective possibilities for a driver to finish and overtake are:

Flip 1-Sainte-Dévote: on the finish of the DRS straight and may typically be the scene of chaos from the race begin.Flip 6-Hairpin: because the title says, it’s a tight hairpin taken at low pace, however can show to be a attainable overtaking spot for any driver courageous sufficient to dive up the within of a rival automobile.Turns 10/11-Nouvelle Chicane: popping out of the well-known tunnel and urgent onerous on the brakes, that is one other alternative for a driver who’s courageous sufficient to assault the within of a rival. This transfer is fraught with hazard, with the barrier typically centimetres away from the automobile.

Monaco is the shortest race of the season, simply over 260km in whole distance.

All different races are greater than 300km in size.

Components 1 drivers’ championship chief Oscar Piastri will begin from third on the grid tonight.

The Australian has gone by means of highs and lows this weekend at Monaco, however is actually within the hunt for a podium or win right now.

Overtaking across the streets of Monte Carlo is HARD.

However the Melbourne-born McLaren driver is remaining cool as we rely right down to the beginning of the race.

“Attempting to attain greater than the place we’re beginning is all the time tough round Monaco,” he says.

“We’ll strive our greatest. There may be clearly a unique rule with the 2 stops, so, let’s have a look at what motion that brings.

Tonight’s Monaco Grand Prix will mandate all drivers to make two pit stops.

This radical thought was accredited by the governing FIA in February, in a bid so as to add extra pleasure to the race.

Monaco can typically look extra like a procession of vehicles, with overtaking extraordinarily onerous within the trendy period.

With vehicles extra dependable than in any earlier period, typically the order of the vehicles after the primary lap is about the place they end.

The hope in mandating two pit stops is to encourage completely different methods and throw an additional variable into the grand prix.

So, what is going to the optimum technique be?

As a result of tyre degradation is so low round Monaco, you’d anticipate all drivers to attempt to full their two stops as quickly as attainable.

An early security automobile will virtually actually usher in these decrease down the grid, however a number of the entrance runners may determine to pit early.

Clear air is the important thing. When you can pit and emerge again on observe with nobody in entrance of you, then you may put the foot down and drive without having to navigate round others.

There’s a new rule this 12 months that each driver should make two pit stops in the course of the Monaco Grand Prix.

For pole sitter Lando Norris, he believes the introduction of that new rule, which was introduced in to carry extra pleasure to a race that had turn into stale, will make for an entertaining race tonight.

“I feel with the brand new guidelines it in all probability means it’s a must to push a bit of bit greater than in earlier years,” he says.

“I feel it is going to be an excellent race for the individuals watching, I feel there might be extra chaos.”

Norris was wonderful final night time in qualifying, taking his first pole place for the reason that season-opener in Melbourne.

On the drivers’ parade, the British driver couldn’t maintain again his smile.

“Every little thing is particular right here in Monaco,” he says.

“It is a good feeling. It is the primary one [at Monaco] in my profession.

“Yesterday was an excellent day, however it’s half one, and right now is a component two.”

Charles Leclerc is a born and bred Monaco native.

He made historical past final 12 months by profitable the Monaco Grand Prix, changing into the primary native since Louis Chiron in 1931 to win the well-known race.