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The dominant pairing of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez express worries about their upcoming Monaco performance.
The 2023 season has seen utter domination for Red Bull. 5 races, 5 wins, 4 poles, 9 podiums, and 224 of the 235 possible points highlight the level that the team has been playing at all season.
However, when it comes to the streets of Monaco, the two previous winners share a similar concern. Sergio Perez was recently quoted as saying,
We certainly know that it’s not our strongest circuit. We know that we will struggle a little bit to show our strengths.
Max Verstappen, reigning double World Champion and winner of the 2021 Monaco Grand Prix said this in a recent interview with Sky Sports when talking about his chances,
Probably the most difficult one to win.
Red Bull have almost looked untouchable this season. However, the two drivers agree on more than just their expected performance for the upcoming race. When asked about who would be able to pick up the pieces, Monaco native Charles Leclerc was the first to come to mind.
Who could shine brightest at the jewel of the calendar?
Charles Leclerc enjoying a bike ride around the streets of Monaco (Image Credit: @ScuderiaFerrari on Twitter)Charles Leclerc has historically been very punchy on Saturdays around the streets of Monte Carlo. However, when it comes to bringing the car home to the top step of the podium on Sunday, Leclerc has yet to prove that he is your guy.
By no means has he been slow, but rather unlucky. 2022 saw Ferrari double-stack their two drivers, 2021 featured Leclerc being unable to make it through the formation lap, and the seasons before that featured more of the same.
However, his previous form did not stop Verstappen and Perez from jumping straight to Charles when sharing stipulations of who could compete with the speed of the Red Bull.
10 years and counting…
Fernando Alonso sitting in the 2023 challenger for Aston Martin (Image Credit: @AstonMartinF1 on Twitter)It has been 10 years since we last saw Fernando Alonso sit at the top of a Formula One podium. However, with his recent run of form, he is definitely in contention week in and week out.
Fernando Alonso, as well as the Aston Martin team, have had a pretty busy week. It was announced on Wednesday that from 2026, the team would partner with Honda as their main engine supplier. In the meantime, Verstappen and Perez believe that Alonso could be the first driver this season to secure a win for the Mercedes power.
Can Sainz Three-peat?
Carlos Sainz taking in the Monaco crowd (Image Credit: @ScuderiaFerrari on Twitter)Sainz has been very punchy around the streets of Monaco in his career. Since his introduction to Formula One in 2015, Sainz has yet to finish outside of the points in the principality.
However, since his introduction to the Ferrari team, he has done something even more impressive. The last two Monaco Grand Prix’s have featured Carlos Sainz on the podium.
After a quick jump to Leclerc for the win, Verstappen immediately made sure to pay his dues to the Spaniard,
Carlos is also handy around here
Sainz was P1 at the end of FP1, but retired late in the FP2 session after a collision with the wall.
For all we know, this could be a classic case of underplay – overperform. However, if we were to go by the words of the men driving the machinery, we could be in store for one memorable Grand Prix.
