Lewis Hamilton eighth as Fernando Alonso eyes Max Verstappen duel at Monaco GP
Lewis Hamilton will be hoping to challenge for an unlikely podium finish at today’s Monaco Grand Prix, with the Brit set to start from fifth on the grid after a sub-par qualifying session on Saturday. Max Verstappen will line up on pole position after beating Fernando Alonso with a scintillating lap right at the end of Q3, while Esteban Ocon starts from third after Charles Leclerc was handed a three-place grid penalty for impeding Lando Norris on a hot lap.
Overtaking has always been notoriously difficult on the streets of Monte-Carlo and it will be no different over the course of today’s race, with the current breed of F1 cars longer and wider than ever before. This will highlight the importance of track position and could see pit strategies dictate the result, with any safety car periods almost certain to shake things up as teams scramble to give their drivers the best chance of finishing as high as possible.
It will, therefore, be a difficult task for Hamilton to force his way into a podium position at the end of the 77-lap contest, although it would be silly to write off the 38-year-old given his knack of delivering when the stakes are at their highest. Meanwhile, it seems as though a two-way fight for victory between Verstappen and Alonso could take shape in Monaco, especially if the Spaniard takes a daring approach off the line and into Turn One when the five red lights go out.
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