Formula One has arrived at the most prestigious race on the calendar, and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc would be desperate to end an awful run of form at his home race.
Born and raised in Monaco, Leclerc's string of bad luck on the historic circuit dates back to his days in Formula Two, where he set the F2 lap record in 2017 before suspension problems caused a DNF.
The next year, in F1, he was in the points for Sauber before brake failure led to a crash with Brendan Hartley.
After poor strategy and Q1 elimination in his first Monaco Grand Prix for Ferrari in 2019, Leclerc charged up the field early on but pushed a little too hard and collided with Romain Grosjean at Rascasse.
In 2021, he surprisingly stuck an inferior Ferrari on pole position but crashed at the end of Q3, and extensive drive-shaft damage led to him cruelly retiring on the formation lap.
The 24-year-old became the first Monegasque to claim pole, but his three DNFs – from as many F1 entries – are his most at any circuit.
Despite ending up in the barriers on a demonstration lap in Niki Lauda's Ferrari last week, another pole could finally put Leclerc on the top step in his home race.
Twelve of the past 17 winners at Monaco have started from pole, as little room to overtake with bigger cars on Monte Carlo's notoriously tight streets makes track position critical.
It would be a welcome way for Leclerc to buck his trend of failing to convert poles into race victories, winning only four times from 13 starts at the front of the grid.
The title race adds another dimension, with Max Verstappen taking a six-point lead from him in the drivers' standings after successive victories at Imola, Miami and Barcelona.
In-form Red Bull with records in sight
Monaco has been a happy hunting ground for Red Bull, and this weekend could bring a number of records for the team.
This weekend could see Red Bull claim their highest number of race wins (six), pole positions (six), podiums (24, with both drivers) and points earned at a circuit, surpassing the 356 collected in Spain.
Meanwhile, reigning world champion Verstappen has the chance to record the longest winning streak of his career, beating last year's three wins between France and Austria.
Ricciardo in need of renaissance
Daniel Ricciardo has come under criticism from McLaren team principal Zak Brown for his recent performances, with a clear need for improvement.
The 32-year-old suffered one of the lowest points of his career last year in Monte Carlo, when he was lapped by teammate Lando Norris.
Ricciardo is suffering his worst streak of finishes outside the points (three) since 2012, when he had five consecutive empty-handed returns for Toro Rosso.
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
Drivers
1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) 110
2. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) 104
3. Sergio Perez (Red Bull) 85
4. George Russell (Mercedes) 74
5. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) 65
Constructors
1. Red Bull 195
2. Ferrari 169
3. Mercedes 120
4. McLaren 50
5. Alfa Romeo 39
Forest taught 'a lesson' as winning run ended by Newcastle according to Nuno
Nuno Espirito Santo acknowledged Nottingham Forest were taught "a lesson" by Newcastle United, even if he did not criticise his side following a 3-1 defeat at the City Ground.
Forest had won their previous three matches to climb to third in the Premier League, and Murillo's opener had them on course for another victory.
But that goal came against the run of play, and Newcastle continued to dominate, eventually equalising through Alexander Isak.
Forest, who have been so solid at the back this season, went chasing victory and were instead caught out as both Joelinton and Harvey Barnes scored on the break.
Those counter-attacks have been a large part of Forest's own attacking identity previously, and Nuno was full of praise for how ruthlessly Newcastle executed that tactic.
"I cannot say that was a bad performance, that is totally out of the question," the Forest boss told BBC Sport.
"We played against a very good team that was able to control us and then hurt us in the way we've been doing. It is a lesson for us to learn.
"I just have to recognise that today we played a good team, who were better than us in many, many moments.
"There's nothing to say about the [Forest] players. The character and belief was there."
Newcastle were a little unfortunate to trail at half-time, having had seven shots to Forest's three and 60% of the possession.
Yet Eddie Howe, the Newcastle coach, still saw plenty of room for improvement, which his side delivered on after the restart.
"It was difficult, but we knew it would be," he said. "They are a difficult team to play against because they don't concede many chances and you're left fearing the worst when you go behind.
"We had work to do at half-time, but credit to the players because the second half was up there with our best performances this season.
"Everything we didn't do in the first half, we did at the start of the second half. We were intense and direct with our attacking. We asked more questions and could have scored.
"I'm really pleased with the second half."
Newcastle have won three in a row in all competitions for the first time in over a year, helped by a return to form for their attacking stars.
Isak had netted only once this season before scoring in the past four successive matches, while Barnes again showed his quality from the bench. Six of his nine Newcastle goals have come as a substitute.
Howe added: "We need our attacking players to contribute goals, and Alex has done that in the past few weeks with massive moments, then Joelinton and Harvey Barnes pop up with moments, too.
"We know we have players who can make that difference, and I'm really pleased with that side of our game.
"Harvey Barnes did what he does. He's an outstanding player. Trying to find room for him in the team is something that I am conscious of.
"I'm really pleased he got that goal – I thought it was a fantastic finish."
Nottingham Forest 1-3 Newcastle United: Visitors battle back for another City Ground victory
Newcastle United fought back to win at the City Ground again on Sunday, beating high-flying Nottingham Forest 3-1 with a ruthless second-half display.
The Magpies had defeated Forest away from home in each of the previous two seasons, but Nuno Espirito Santo's hosts have been a different prospect so far in this campaign.
And Forest looked set for a fourth win in a row when Murillo nodded in his first career goal midway through the first half.
That opener was arguably harsh on Newcastle, though, and a deserved equaliser arrived nine minutes after half-time as Alexander Isak scored in a fourth consecutive match in all competitions.
Isak, who netted twice in a 2-1 win at Forest in March 2023, then turned provider for the second goal as Joelinton brilliantly beat Matz Sels, before substitute Harvey Barnes broke away to net the third.
Another victory, following on from last week's win against Arsenal, lifts Newcastle to within a point of Forest, who remain third ahead of Chelsea hosting the Gunners later on Sunday.
Data Debrief: Super sub Barnes shows Newcastle depth
Newcastle had looked a little short in wide positions prior to a change last week that saw Joelinton moved into the forward line, but now they have a wealth of options.
Joelinton starred on the left against Arsenal but scored a brilliant goal after moving to the right on this occasion, also contesting (16) and winning (10) more duels than any team-mate.
Then Barnes arrived from the bench, on for the injured Anthony Gordon, and made the points safe with his ninth Premier League goal for the club and sixth as a substitute. Only Papiss Cisse (eight) and Callum Wilson (seven) have more Newcastle goals from the bench in this competition.
Angers 2-4 Paris Saint-Germain: Lee and Barcola bag braces as Enrique's side restore six-point lead
Paris Saint-Germain restored their six-point lead at the Ligue 1 summit with a 4-2 victory over Angers.
Luis Enrique's side did the damage in the first half at Stade Raymond Kopa, with Lee Kang-In and Bradley Barcola both scoring twice to extend their unbeaten start to the season.
PSG broke through in the 17th minute through Lee, who doubled his and the visitors' tally when he turned in Marco Asensio's low cross three minutes later.
Asensio was the provider again as the Ligue 1 leaders made it 3-0 just after the hour mark, with his centre diverted in by Barcola.
The latter grabbed his second just before half-time when he headed in from Lee's cross.
Angers made the scoreline more respectable in stoppage time, with Esteban Lepaul and Emmanuel Biumla halving the deficit for the hosts.
Data Debrief: PSG make it 30 unbeaten on the road
Now unbeaten in 30 away Ligue 1 matches, PSG are the first team in the top five European leagues to reach that mark since Napoli in 2018.
Lee scored his first brace for the club, while Asensio assisted two goals in the same league match for the first time since doing so for Espanyol against Real Betis in October 2015 (three).
Although, it was not all plain sailing for PSG, who conceded two goals in second-half stoppage time for only the second time in their history (also against Barcelona in the 2016-17 Champions League).
As for Angers, they have become the first team in Ligue 1 history to lose 15 successive matches against the same opponent.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
