- Lando Norris has finished in the top two at the last three races
- Pierre Gasly has scored points in four of his five races in Monaco
- Recommended bet: Lando Norris podium finish
- Recommended bet: Pierre Gasly top-10 finish

World champion Max Verstappen is facing an increased challenge as he seeks a fourth successive world championship heading into this weekend's Monaco Grand Prix.

McLaren's Lando Norris registered his first career win in Miami and then pushed Red Bull ace Verstappen all the way in the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix last week, so it's all to play for as the field tackle the unique challenge of the Monaco Grand Prix.

The stats

Red Bull have won four of the last five Monaco Grands Prix but with three different drivers (Daniel Ricciardo, Sergio Perez and Verstappen)

Lewis Hamilton has the most Monte Carlo wins in the current F1 field with three.

McLaren have the most all-time Monaco victories with 15.

Charles Leclerc has finished in the top four at all seven races this season without winning.

Max Verstappen has been on pole position for every race this season.

The fastest lap of the race has been set by a different driver at each of the last five rounds (Leclerc, Verstappen, Fernando Alonso, Oscar Piastri and George Russell).

Prediction

The 2024 F1 world championship is looking a lot more exciting than the first few races of the season suggested, with McLaren and Ferrari both throwing down strong challenges to world champion Max Verstappen after improving their cars.

The annual battle on the streets of Monte Carlo could be a three-team fight this time, although the Dutchman rightly retains his status as favourite for the race after taking his fifth victory of the season at Imola on Sunday.

Lando Norris was within a second of catching the championship leader in that race having won in Miami in the previous round, and McLaren have vastly improved their performance in slow-speed corners, which used to be a major weakness.

The British team should still be seen to better effect at faster tracks such as Silverstone and Spa, but Norris and team-mate Oscar Piastri should be podium contenders even at the slowest circuit on the calendar.

Verstappen has won in Monaco in two of the last three seasons and was third to team-mate Sergio Perez in 2022. 

The Dutchman remains the most likely winner but backing Norris to make the podium again looks a solid bet, as he has been in the first three finishers at four of the last five races and the team are bringing high-downforce upgrades to boost their Monaco challenge.

Further down the field, Alpine's Pierre Gasly may be underestimated as he bids to secure his first points of the season. The French outfit have been struggling with team-mate Esteban Ocon taking their only point of the year in Miami, but Gasly has an excellent record at the tight street circuit.

Gasly has scored points in four of his five races at Monaco, all seventh place or better, and his worst effort was 11th in 2022, just one place out of the points.

The slow-speed circuit masks the deficiencies of some of the weaker cars in the field and puts more emphasis on driver skill, which should give Gasly more of a chance to shine this weekend.

Back Lando Norris podium finish at 3/5 with LiveScore Bet

Back Pierre Gasly top-10 finish at 7/4 with LiveScore Bet