Monaco F1 Grand Prix 2017: Start Time, Drivers, TV Schedule and More

Sebastian Vettel faces a difficult task in keeping hold of his lead in the Formula One drivers' standings at the 2017 Monaco Grand Prix this Sunday, with Mercedes poster boy Lewis Hamilton lurking just six points behind.

Ferrari's phenomenon is yet to finish outside the top two in any race so far this season and will hope to prolong that record with a third win of the year in Monte Carlo, but an open arena could stunt those plans.

Red Bull duo Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen each looked promising during Thursday's practice sessions, while Hamilton will be one to watch out for following his second victory of 2017 in Spain a fortnight ago.

Arguably the most famous race of the Formula 1 season returns on Sunday, and the 2017 edition of the Monaco GP promises to be one of the most exciting yet amid an evenly matched collection of frontrunners.

Read on for details of Sunday's start time, complete with television schedule, information and a breakdown of all the top headlines leading up to the race.

Start Time: 1 p.m. BST/8 a.m ET/2 p.m local

TV Info: Sky Sports F1 (UK) and NBC Sports (U.S.)

Driver List: visit Formula1.com

Position	Driver	Team	Points
1	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	104
2	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	98
3	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	63
4	Kimi Raikkonen	Ferrari	49
5	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull	37
6	Max Verstappen	Red Bull	35
7	Sergio Perez	Force India	34
8	Esteban Ocon	Force India	19
9	Felipe Massa	Williams	18
10	Carlos Sainz	Toro Rosso	17

Vettel at High Velocity

Showcasing the kind of form that led him to clinch four consecutive world championships, Vettel is back at the summit of F1 and hoping to give Ferrari their first Monaco victory since Michael Schumacher's triumph in 2001.

Vettel has previous when it comes to dominating the Monte Carlo track, too, having won the race in 2011, and Formula 1 noted his impressive record is carrying through to this year's edition as far as practice goes:

Vettel will be motivated to end his own five-year win drought on the French Riviera, but he indicated during Thursday's Formula 1 Q & A session that he's just as passionate about bringing Ferrari a rare success:

"Monaco is always special—if you could have the freedom to choose any race on the calendar that you would want to win, it would without doubt be Monaco. You can ask up and down the paddock and you would get the same answer. I would say it is about time that Ferrari wins again here, as I think that the last Ferrari win here was quite a while ago—if I am not mistaken it was 2001. So yes, we are ready."

Driving partner Kimi Raikkonen also has a Monaco GP victory under his belt after triumphing in Monte Carlo in 2005—well over a decade ago—but the Finn has only one podium finish to his name in 2017.

That isn't to say Raikkonen hasn't played his part in Vettel's success this season, but taking on the collective might of Mercedes and Red Bull with their teams in full swing promises to be a mountainous endeavour.

Raging Red Bull

With only two podium finishes between them over the course of the first five races this season, it's safe to say Red Bull duo Ricciardo and Verstappen haven't quite lived up to expectations in 2017 thus far.

But performances in the manufacturer's RB13 look to have taken a turn for the better of late, and Ricciardo told the official Formula 1 website he felt this venue can be a springboard for the remainder of their year:

"I feel like we got back in the groove here—generally we're there in that window that we need to be. There's a few little things that I definitely want to work on, but we're not a second off or anything, so that's promising. I don't think we need to do too much.

"Obviously they looked strong in the morning, particularly Lewis, and then in the afternoon...it's weird. We'll see, but I expect them to be [OK]. If we all get it together on Saturday it should be a three-way fight."

Ricciardo beat Mercedes to pole position in the 2016 Monaco Grand Prix en route to a second-placed finish, and the Australian posted on social media, perhaps in expectation of more big things to come at the Circuit de Monaco:

The Red Bull pair looked spirited in the early practice sessions, with Ricciardo finishing second and Verstappen in P6, posing good omens for what may come for the remainder of their weekend.

Neither Verstappen nor Ricciardo have mustered a finish higher than third in the 2017 Formula 1 season, and a big manoeuvre will be required soon if they're to keep any fleeting title hopes alive.