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Formula 1 Monaco GP

F1 Monaco GP Live Commentary and Updates - FP3 & Qualifying

Saturday's action from the sixth round of the 2023 Formula 1 season.

Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing RB19

F1 is in Monaco for the sixth round this weekend and its jewel in the crown, as the paddock takes to the streets of Monte Carlo. 

This should have been round seven on the calendar, but the weather emergency in the Emilia Romagna region of Italy led to last week's Imola event being cancelled. 

Red Bull will be looking to continue its run of 1-2 finishes in 2023, with Max Verstappen eager to strengthen his position as the championship leader after leading FP2 on Friday from the Ferrari duo.

FP3 starts at 11:30am BST on Saturday, with qualifying at 3pm BST.

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Crash
Hamilton lost the rear on entry to Mirabeau and collided with the wall on the exit.
Red flag
The session has gone red!
Yellow flag
But we're back under yellow flags as Hamilton hits the wall at Mirabeau!
Green flag
With Magnussen's Haas cleared from the track, the Virtual Safety Car ends and we are back to green flag conditions.
Before the interruption, Alonso had just registered the fastest first sector time of the session.
Quote
"I have no power steering," is the message before Magnussen is instructed to "stop the car."

He is now climbing from his Haas.
Yellow flag
It's Magnussen again. He has stopped on track on entry to Portier. 

The Virtual Safety Car has now been activated.
Yellow flag
Yellow flags in sector one. Kevin Magnussen has made the typical Monaco error at Sainte Devote, running down the escape road. 

He opts against a flick spin, clearly wanting to spare his tyres the damage, and completes a three-point turn to escape.
Verstappen's effort was also hampered by traffic in the first sector, with his following lap not aided by traffic in the final sector.
It's not a good effort for Alonso, who improves but is now 0.921s off the pace. The time was all lost in the first sector as he set personal best second and third sectors.
A near-miss for De Vries on his latest effort, losing the rear and brushing the barriers through Sainte Devote. 

Alonso, also on fresh softs, comes extremely close to disaster.
After focusing on longer runs, Norris skates straight across the Nouvelle Chicane on his qualifying run. He will need to go again.
The traffic is really beginning to build in the final sector as drivers battle to find a piece of clear track.
He goes ninth! 1.085s off Verstappen's time, but importantly, one-tenth clear of 10th-place Albon. 

Given the struggles with tyrewear on longer runs, the Finn could be somewhat of a roadblock on Sunday.
Before his effort, Bottas was 12th and around half-a-second shy of the top 10.
With 20 minutes on the clock, the track is slowly beginning to fill. Bottas is the latest to begin his effort.
Gasly is one of the few drivers currently lapping and he improves to go sixth - 0.901s shy of the ultimate pace.
Only three drivers are currently on the track before what will likely be the final qualifying simulations of the hour.
A "hefty hit of the wall" for Russell in the final sector. He has quickly returned to the pits for a once-over. 

Currently, he is seventh.
Perez and Verstappen come out for another run. A 1m 12.849s for Perez lowers the target time, but Verstappen again goes better, dropping time in the middle sector but still managing a 1m 12.776s.
Such is the level of track evolution, that Alonso is now sixth and 0.799s off the pace, despite challenging at the top. However, the Spaniard has remained in the garage for a short while and has not experienced the improved surface.
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Leclerc has reported that his Ferrari is "bottoming like crazy" through the first part of the Swimming Pool complex. 

"We need to change the car. I have no control of the car."

He is currently fourth but the time isn't coming easily at this stage.
And Perez improves further, briefly returning to the top before once again being bettered by his title-leading team-mate - Verstappen's new benchmark is a 1m 12.898s.
Perez returns fire, going purple in sector two on his way to P2 in the current order. He is only 0.004 shy of Verstappen's best.
18 cars are now circulating, meaning the traffic will soon mirror the M25 at rush hour. Get ready for a lot of complaints via team radio!
Hamilton sets his first time of the session, meaning all 20 drivers now feature on the leaderboard. But his effort is good enough only for 11th. 

Despite the upgrades, there appears to be work to do for Mercedes.
 
But hold on, here comes Alonso! He now hits the front, going 0.097s faster than Verstappen. 

Whisper it quietly, the battle for pole is on!
And he crosses the line to go 0.583s faster than the rest with his first attempt of the day! That's how to place a marker! 

Verstappen is fastest with a 1m 13.794s.
0.474s up in sector two...
Verstappen is purple in sector one...
Verstappen takes to the track, finally, as Williams team principal James Vowles confirms a complete focus on qualifying for the hour rather than looking to the race.
The times really are dropping now as Norris goes fastest before being bettered by Stroll with a 1m 14.763s.
 
Only Verstappen, Hamilton and Russell have yet to take to the track.
The order is rapidly changing with Stroll now second - 0.078s back - and Bottas fourth. 

Bottas has endured a difficult season so far but has shown pace that could see him feature in Q3 throughout the weekend.
Leclerc registers his first time of the session and falls 0.433 shy of Perez. Meanwhile, Sainz is second and just 0.066s behind pacesetter Perez.
The track is now getting significantly more busy with 11 drivers currently lapping. All drivers are on the soft Pirelli rubber.

By: Autosport Staff

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