F1 is ready to welcome the European races, starting with the Monaco Grand Prix, the home race of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.
It is sure to be an exciting weekend for F1 fans as the Scuderia look to deliver a big result in Monte Carlo and close the gap on Mercedes ahead of a possible championship fight when the new engine arrives.
Weekend schedule
The Monaco GP will begin on Friday, June 5, with two practice sessions.
FP1 is set to begin at 12:30 BST, with FP2 following at 16:00.
On Saturday, the last practice session starts at 11:30 and qualifying kicks off at 15:00.
The main race will take place on Sunday, June 7, starting at 14:00.
Race preview
The 2025 Monaco GP was won by Lando Norris in his McLaren, followed by Leclerc, who gave everything to steal first place and replicate 2024’s result.
Leclerc will hope for a better result this year in the SF-26, which should be dominant in low-speed corners.
Oscar Piastri, who was fighting for the championship with Norris at the time, claimed the third position on the podium last year.
Lewis Hamilton finished that race in fifth position, 51 seconds behind the lead, after a poor race.
Four-time world champion Max Verstappen, meanwhile, finished in fourth position in 2025, but he was only 20 seconds away from the lead.
Red Bull haven’t performed very well in the streets of Monte Carlo over the last couple of years, though, so they need to hope their RB22 delivers good results this weekend.
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Monaco predictions
Ferrari are looking like the favourites this weekend, but don’t forget about Mercedes.
Here are the top five predictions for the 2026 Monaco Grand Prix.
1 – Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
There is no doubt that Leclerc, when he is in a competitive car, is the best at putting in the top qualifying lap, especially on the streets of Monaco.
Qualifying is crucial in Monaco too as the race is usually a car parade.
Leclerc needs to replicate his 2024 result with a perfect qualifying lap and impeccable driving during the race.
And with the SF-26, he has a great chance to be in the best car, which should help him be the fastest through both low- and slow-speed corners.
2 – Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
Antonelli is having a dream start to the season, leading the championship and beating team-mate George Russell, who has more F1 experience.
While he doesn’t have the same skills as Leclerc in Monaco, Antonelli will definitely be ready to show his talent.
3 – Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
Hamilton is also looking forward to this weekend after a successful race in Canada, where he finished second, as he feels more comfortable with the car thanks to his work with the engineers.
Having endured a difficult 2025 season, he is now showing the champion he is.
His best possible result this weekend is likely third place given the problems and mistakes in qualifying in Canada that might happen again if not resolved.
4 – George Russell (Mercedes)
Russell is not having a good time in F1 at the moment.
In Canada, he was unlucky when his engine broke down while battling his team-mate.
The Brit is also not showing much superiority over Antonelli, with it being a pretty even fight, so he must not underestimate the young Italian.
Unfortunately, Russell has never had a good result in Monaco.
And now that his team-mate is beating him every time, it will be an even bigger challenge.
5 – Lando Norris (McLaren)
Norris has delivered some solid results in Monaco recently, including a win last season.
Although McLaren aren’t superior to Ferrari or Mercedes at the moment, they will surely try to score solid points, even if they are unlikely to finish above the other two teams.
“In the places where we know we’re struggling, it’s not something that gives me confidence to say we’re going to be incredible, but you never know,” Norris told RacingNews365.
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Geoffrey H. Latayan 
SportJustSport writers 
Simon Wilkes