Live: Piastri starts Monaco GP seventh, Ferrari boss returns from hospital

live F1 live Monaco Grand Prix: Oscar Piastri starts seventh with Kimi Antonelli on pole Formula 1 championship leader Kimi Antonelli starts tonight's Monaco Grand Prix from pole position, as the teenager aims to continue his impressive run. Australia's Oscar Piastri will need a mighty performance to match his podium triumphs of the past two years, starting seventh on the grid. Meanwhile, Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur has returned to the F1 paddock after being hospitalised on Saturday. Follow all the action of the Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix on the live blog below. Submit a comment or question Live updates New: Filters Choose what information you see below by using filters Sun 7 Jun 2026 at 9:28pm Do drivers really take one hand off the steering wheel at Monaco? G’day Michael . Interesting night coming up - narrow track - not much room for error. Can I ask a technical question ? During qualifying yesterday , I think commentator said ‘on the really slow bends , the driver needs to turn the steering wheel so far that there isn’t enough room in the cockpit for both hands and they need to take one hand off the wheel’ . Would that be right or did I misunderstand? If so is it the only track where that happens? Seems weird somehow if true. - Phillip G'day Phillip. The answer to your question is, yes. Take a look at the image below. You will see I have drawn a beautiful yellow oval in the cockpit of Lando Norris's McLaren. You can see, there is no hand. Norris has turned the steepring wheel so far to the left that his left hand is off the wheel, his right hand is currently across his body, and the wheen has been turned upside down. And this is the corner — the turn 6 hairpin. Sun 7 Jun 2026 at 9:18pm Thoughts of Max Verstappen ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix Red Bull's Max Verstappen produced a terrific qualifying to be second fastest, and start alongside Kimi Antonelli on the front row. Verstappen and Red Bull have not enjoyed much success this year under the new regulations, but tonight's race in Monaco presents them with an opportunity to potentially snatch a win. The start is crucial in Monaco, and Verstappen is keeping cool ahead of the grand prix. "Try not to overthink it too much," the four-time world champion said of the race-start. "We'll try to do the best start we can, and after that, it's going to be a very long race where a lot can happen." Sun 7 Jun 2026 at 9:13pm Kimi Antonelli speaks ahead of starting on pole tonight How good is Kimi Antonelli going? The 19-year-old has won the previous four grands prix, and he starts tonight's Monaco Grand Prix on pole position. He leads the drivers' championship after five rounds by 43 points. The drivers are on their parade lap, and here is what the pole sitter had to say about his maiden front row appearance in Monaco. "It was not easy to fall asleep. Still had a lot of adrenaline inside the body. But I managed to sleep well," Antonelli said. "It was a great moment yesterday, but of course, today is another day and we've still got to execute the race." As each race weekend passes, the teenager looks more comfortable challenging for a world championship. He was asked about how he is handling the moment, being in front after five rounds. Just trying to focus on the process. Not worrying about final results. Just trying to do the best job as possible when I get in the car. I know that if I do so, the result will come. Key Event Sun 7 Jun 2026 at 9:10pm Fred Vasseur reportedly back after hospitalisation There is some nice news to start the day. Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur is reportedly back in the F1 paddock after being hospitalised on Saturday. Vasseur missed yesterday's qualifying session, with the team not confirming what the issue was. F1 journalist Lawrence Barretto has reported that Vasseur is back in the paddock. Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur is back at track in Monaco ahead of today’s Grand Prix, having missed Saturday’s action as he was in a local medical facility under observation after health checks. Key Event Sun 7 Jun 2026 at 9:05pm What time does the F1 Monaco Grand Prix start? Here is when the Monaco Grand Prix is scheduled to begin in your state or territory. - 11pm AEST: NSW, Victoria, ACT, Queensland, Tasmania - 10:30pm ACST: South Australia, Northern Territory - 9pm AWST: Western Australia Key Event Sun 7 Jun 2026 at 8:56pm Welcome back to the ABC Sport F1 live blog Good evening, Australia. Welcome back to ABC Sport's live digital coverage of the 2026 Formula 1 championship. Tonight is the big one — Monaco. The latest edition of F1's most famous grand prix is under two hours away. Kimi Antonelli starts the race on pole position, along with Max Verstappen on the front row. Australia's Oscar Piastri is starting from seventh. Join us throughout the evening as we bring you all the action. Be part of the conversation and let us know your thoughts on all things F1 in the comment section.