Monaco GP track stats hand boost to Charles Leclerc as Ferrari star prepares for home race

F1 preview: A lap of the Monaco Grand Prix

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The Monaco Grand Prix is one of the marquee races on the Formula 1 calendar – and the track statistics show that overtaking opportunities are minimal while the front row is the best place to be if the driver harbours hopes of victory. It means Ferrari star Charles Leclerc will be hoping to add to his sensational 2021 pole with another fine performance in qualifying to set him up for Sunday’s race.

Leclerc is looking to reclaim the lead in the Drivers’ Championship after losing it to reigning world champion Max Verstappen following the Spanish Grand Prix. The Dutchman took the chequered flag only after Leclerc – who had been leading comfortably – suffered fatal engine issues. 

Monaco, the place where Leclerc grew up and continues to reside, could prove to be the best place for the 24-year-old to rediscover the winning feeling, but he will need to take advantage of the fact he is favourite to secure pole position. Overtakes come at a premium in Monte-Carlo; the Circuit de Monaco saw an average of 11.66 overtakes in races between 2014-16 but this statistic dropped to just 2.75 overtakes on average from 2017.

Qualifying for Monaco is therefore incredibly crucial, with over 68 per cent of all races having been won from the front row. In fact, each of the last three Monaco Grands Prix has seen just one race leader throughout the entire event – Verstappen in 2021, Lewis Hamilton in 2019 and Daniel Ricciardo in 2018.

To add to the uniqueness of the weekend, Monaco remains easily the shortest circuit on the F1 calendar. It is the only track that does not adhere to the FIA’s mandated minimum circuit length of 3.5km, coming in at 3.337km.

The FIA also has a minimum race distance rule of 305km, which Monaco is also exempt from. The Monaco Grand Prix lasts around 260km over a mega 78 laps. 

When Leclerc secured pole in Monaco last year, he dragged Ferrari level with McLaren for the most qualifying poles around the iconic track with 11 – and the Monegasque star will be desperate to move Ferrari past their historic rivals, along with teammate Carlos Sainz. The 24-year-old could also become the first driver to secure successive poles around the principality since Nico Rosberg in 2013 and 2014.

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Verstappen will also be racing for a shot at history. The Dutchman could become the first Red Bull driver to win four successive races since four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel’s incredible run of nine consecutive wins in 2013 if he takes victory on Sunday.

If Verstappen misses out on the win but claims a spot on the podium, he will move level with Vettel’s total of 65 podiums with Red Bull. The German has won in Monaco before, joining Fernando Alonso, Ricciardo, Verstappen and Hamilton as current drivers who have tasted victory in Monaco.

Hamilton has won the Monaco Grand Prix on three occasions to go with two pole positions, and the Mercedes star will be dreaming of adding to his resume on Sunday. The 22-race F1 2022 campaign – which is expected to return to a record 23 races in the near future once a Russian Grand Prix replacement is found – continues with the Monaco Grand Prix in Monte-Carlo on May 29.

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