Monaco GP Weekend Preview: Saturday Schedule, TV Times and Track Guide

Formula 1 arrives in Monaco after a dramatic Canadian Grand Prix, where Kimi Antonelli scored his fourth straight win and opened a 43-point lead over Mercedes team-mate George Russell, who retired from the lead. At Monte Carlo, Saturday qualifying is effectively the main event — overtaking is impossible on the tight streets, so the grid usually decides the result. With the championship fight tightening inside the Mercedes garage, Monte Carlo offers almost no margin for error.

Why it matters:

The Mercedes fight is turning one-sided. Antonelli's streak has left Russell with no room for error, and Monaco's tight layout offers zero chance to recover from a poor Saturday. With the slowest average speeds on the calendar and unforgiving barriers, qualifying is where the weekend is truly won.

The details:

• Antonelli leads Russell by 43 points after four consecutive wins. Russell's DNF from the lead in Canada deepened his points deficit.
• Saturday schedule: FP3 is at 12:30pm CEST, qualifying at 4:00pm CEST. UK times are 11:30am and 3:00pm BST; U.S. East Coast times are 6:30am and 10:00am ET.
• Weather is forecast pleasant and mostly dry, with highs near 23C and low rain risk. Track evolution and traffic will matter more than weather strategy.
• The 3.337km street circuit has 19 turns and 78 laps of unforgiving barriers, allowing zero margin for error.

What's next:

Sunday's race is at 3:00pm CEST under dry skies. The 2026 grid features Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari and new entries from Audi and Cadillac, making Monaco an early test of F1's evolving order. Teams know qualifying is king here, so Saturday afternoon is the weekend's decisive session.