How to watch the 2021 Monaco Grand Prix: start time and TV channels

The return of the Monaco Grand Prix happens this weekend after the cancelled race last season.

As is tradition, on-track action begins on Thursday with a rest day on Friday so make sure you don’t miss the usual FP1 and 2 sessions.

Here is everything you need to know including TV and radio stations as well as session timings for the entire race weekend.

(All times BST)

 

How many laps is the Monaco Grand Prix?

The Monaco GP is scheduled for 78 laps. Currently, Saturday is set to be cloudy but the race on Sunday should remain dry throughout

 

Where to watch?

Sky Sports F1 will show every session on all three days of the weekend live. Race day coverage begins on Sky Sports F1 at 12:30pm and will run through post-race coverage to 5:30pm. Qualifying coverage begins at 1pm on Saturday.

Highlights will also be available after qualifying and the race on Channel 4. Highlights from Saturday start at 8pm that evening while Sunday’s race highlights start at 6:30pm.

Radio coverage will also be available all weekend on BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra, with coverage beginning five minutes ahead of each practice session and 10 minutes before lights out on Sunday.

 

How to stream?

The Monaco Grand Prix weekend is available on NowTV to stream online. You can watch Sky Sports coverage of each session from Thursday’s practice sessions to Sunday’s race including the pre and post-race coverage on Sky Sports F1.

 

Who will win?

The battle for victory looks set to be between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen. They are the only two to have won a race so far this season, three races to one respectively.

While Mercedes has taken the advantage in both championships, Red Bull has been the quicker package over a single lap, and with Monaco qualifying being so crucial, Verstappen might be the favourite for this weekend.

The Dutchman has never finished on the podium in the Principality, he finished second on the road on F1’s last visit to Monaco in 2019 but his time penalty for contact with Valtteri Bottas in the pit lane left him in fourth place.

If Red Bull does emerge as the favourite over a single fast lap then Verstappen will need to cut out the mistakes he has made in Q3. He has dropped two potential pole positions already this season for track limits infringements.

Any repeat around Monaco and the consequences will be much worse. He has found the barriers on a Saturday before, crashing out of FP3 in 2018 and leaving his Red Bull mechanics with a major rebuild job to fix his car ahead of qualifying.

If he leaves that kind of gap for Mercedes and Hamilton to exploit, it could be three-in-a-row for the championship leader.

 

 

2021 Monaco Grand Prix session times

Thursday

Free Practice 1: 10:30 – 11:30

Free Practice 2: 14:00 – 15:00

Saturday

Free Practice 3: 11:00 – 12:00

Qualifying: 14:00 – 15:00

Sunday

Race: 14:00 – 16:00