F1: Monaco Grand Prix – live | Formula One

Lap 23/78: Pérez, Verstappen’s Red Bull teammate, is still in 16th. The race has been much choppier for those at the back.

Lap 22/78: Verstappen’s lead on Alonso is now over 10 seconds. It’s been a smooth run for him so far.

Lap 21/78: There are some ominous clouds drifting in, apparently. One for the meteorologists.

Lap 20/78: Verstappen continues to extend his lead, which looks unassailable.

Lap 19/78: Albon heads in for a pit stop. Sergeant is being hunted down at the back of the field.

Lap 18/78: Sergeant is in trouble. Stroll and Hülkenberg also make hay, leaving him in 18th.

We’ve got some correspondence from Anne Williams. “This is the first race I’ve been able to watch live and, wow, it’s really boring so far!” Try live blogging it!

Lap 17/78: Sainz gets a black and white flag for causing a collision. Meanwhile, overtake klaxon! Magnussen nips into space to get ahead of Sergeant at Mirabeau and is now up to 15th.

Lap 16/78: There’s a lot of talk about graining. Repeat: there’s a lot of talk about graining.

Lap 15/78: The top six are still unchanged, but, little by little, Verstappen continues to extend his lead.

Lap 14/78: Verstappen now has a five-second lead. Alonso discusses a potential puncture with his team, but gets the all clear.

Lap 13/78: Sainz has lost his front end plate but he’s still out on the track. Not ideal.

Lap 12/78: Verstappen and Alonso have opened a big gap to Ocon. It’s looking like a two-horse race already.

Lap 11/78: Sainz has run into the back of Ocon at the Nouvelle Chicane and damaged his front wing, which could wreck his race. The yellow flag is out but Sainz is trying to carry on.

Lap 10/78: Pérez continues to push, catching up with the following pack at the back of the field.

Lap 9/78: Pérez, having already made a pit stop, is up to 18th, but struggles to advance further.

Lap 8/78: Russell is given the all clear over his starting position, which will come as a relief.

Lap 7/78: The advertising hoardings are starting to fray as the cars hug the limited width of the track. The drivers push and probe for an opening with little success.

Lap 6/78: The race resembles a car park early on. The top six are still unchanged.

Lap 5/78: Hülkenberg is given a five-second time penalty after a bump with Sargeant.

Lap 4/78: There are groups forming here and there but, as predicted, little room for a successful overtake.

Lap 3/78: The top six are unchanged. Settle in for a cagey race.

Lap 2/78: The race starts to settle down, Verstappen still leading with Alonso, Ocon, Sainz, Hamilton and Leclerc behind him. Russell has been noted by race control for an incorrect starting position.

Lap 1/78: There’s contact between Hülkenberg and Stroll early on, with the former making up four places and the latter losing four. They both go into the pits, as does Pérez.

Lights out!

In case you’re unfamiliar with the race, the circuit is just over two miles long and we’ve got 78 laps to come. It’s notoriously difficult to overtake given its tight and sharply twisting bends, making track position especially important. Even so, it’s one of the most iconic circuits in F1 and the archetypal street track.

The grid

As ever, there are a host of famous faces hanging about. Kylie Minogue, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Gianni Infantino, Orlando Bloom. Quite the fantasy dinner party. For someone, probably.

Giles Richards has some thoughts on Mercedes’s ongoing struggles and the arrival of the “B-spec” of the Mercedes W14. They make for interesting pre-race reading.

Verstappen has been talking to Sky Sports about living in lovely, sunny, opulent Monaco. “It’s really nice for me to live here: the quality of life, food, training, it’s just good to be around here,” he purrs.

Asked about his future in F1, he demurs, admitting he has ambitions elsewhere and may want a new challenge at some stage. “I love racing, otherwise I wouldn’t be on the simulator at home doing other kinds of stuff,” he says. “But that’s exactly the thing, I also like to do other kinds of racing, not only Formula One … I’m really a person who loves to be at home and, let’s say, maybe at one point – I like to be competitive, I like to win – but if you can’t fully motivate yourself to get to every race then that’s the point where you have to question whether you want to continue.”

Discussing Red Bull’s dominance, he says: “That’s what we always wanted, right? To be the dominant team. I think this weekend is very different though … this is definitely one you want to win, at least once. Luckily I’ve already done that.”

Preamble