Monaco F1 Grand Prix 2019: Start Time, Drivers, TV Schedule and More
The sixth race of the 2019 Formula One season takes place in Monaco on Sunday, with the sport remembering driving legend Niki Lauda.
The three-time world champion died on Monday.
Lauda won 25 grands prix during his driving career and would later become a mentor to current world champion Lewis Hamilton. The Austrian was a prominent figure in F1 as non-executive chairman of Mercedes.
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Hamilton leads the world standings after five outings, holding 112 points after three victories and two second-place finishes.
Date: Sunday, May 26
Time: 2:10 p.m. (BST), 9:10 a.m. (ET)
TV Info: Sky Sports F1 (UK), ESPN2 (U.S.)
Live Stream: Sky Go, ESPN Player
The list of drivers for the season can be found on the F1 website.
Preview
The famous street circuit at Monaco remains one of the most anticipated dates on the F1 calendar, but the absence of Lauda will be felt by fans and drivers alike.
Lauda helped guide Mercedes to their position as the dominant entity in the sport, and his missing charisma and knowledge will leave a huge void in the garage for the Silver Arrows.
The German constructors were expecting a serious challenge from Ferrari this term, but Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas have dominated the early part of the campaign.
Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc have displayed flashes of brilliance for the Scuderia, but the Italian team need more from their drivers.
Monaco-born Leclerc will be desperate for a podium finish in his home race after four fifth-place results this season.
According to Phillip Horton of Motorsport Week, Leclerc said his team are aware they are trailing Mercedes in terms of pace in the opening races:
"This is no time to panic, but we're clearly behind Mercedes. [They are] out of reach for us, so we have to focus on what we have to do, find the best solutions for our car and then we'll see. The target is to improve and close the gap."
Leclerc added he is unsure what Ferrari's strategy will be in Monaco as they attempt to minimise the space between themselves and the current fastest team on the grid, per Horton:
"To be honest from now we are working to close the gap, so we don't know yet what we need to do. We expected [Mercedes] to be strong here because they were very strong in the low speed corners in Barcelona for example, but we need to focus on ourselves, try to put these tyres in the right window—which we don't do at the moment—and then we'll see."
The unpredictability of Monaco could be Ferrari's best friend in the race. Overtaking remains challenging on the street circuit, and if Vettel and Leclerc can steal prominent positions, a podium finish for the Prancing Horse is possible.
Mercedes have failed to capture victory in this race during the past two years after coming off a four-straight win streak.
Monaco has not been a happy hunting ground for Hamilton, as the British superstar has won the event just twice in the last 11 years.
Mercedes will pay tribute to Lauda on Sunday, but the legend would have loved nothing more than maximum points for his team at the venue he twice won at during his fabled F1 career.
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