Formula 1 returns to perhaps its most iconic track as the teams face off at the Monaco Grand Prix this weekend.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen got back to winning ways last time out with victory at the Emila Romagna Grand Prix but his season has suddenly taken on a more competitive edge with the emergence of Lando Norris as a potential title challenger.
McLaren’s Norris claimed a stunning win two weeks ago in Miami, beating Verstappen after a perfectly timed safety car and took the reigning world champion to the end of the race at Imola, going as far as saying he needed only a couple more laps to overtake the Red Bull.
Nonetheless, Verstappen still has a healthy 48-point lead in the drivers’ championship to Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc with Norris, though gaining ground, 60 points behind in fourth and Red Bull’s Sergio Perez between them in third.
Elsewhere, Lewis Hamilton‘s worst-ever start to an F1 season continues though he managed to claw back a place in the drivers’ standings with a sixth-placed finish at Imola and will look to turn around his fortunes this weekend.
Follow latest updates from the Monaco Grand Prix with The Independent