2021 F1 Monaco Grand Prix - Follow Thursday Practice LIVE!

Formula 1 returns to the iconic streets of Monte Carlo for this weekend's Monaco Grand Prix.

After a year away due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, F1 returns to Monaco for the fifth round of the 2021 season.

CLICK HERE TO FOLLOW CRASH.NET's LIVE F1 COVERAGE OF THE 2021 MONACO GRAND PRIX

Lewis Hamilton leads Max Verstappen by 14 points after the first four races, with the reigning world champion gaining momentum in the last two rounds as he scored back-to-back victories.

Monaco has often favoured Red Bull over the years so Verstappen will be hopeful he can take his maiden Monaco victory.

Valtteri Bottas has finished third in every race that he's finished this season, leaving him a distant third in the drivers' championship.

Just behind is McLaren's Lando Norris, who has just signed a new multi-year deal with the Woking-based outfit. 

Ferrari is expected to lead the midfield battle in Monaco after performing best in the low-speed corners last time out at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, relative to McLaren and Alpine. 

What to expect from this weekend?

As per Monaco tradition, practice takes place on Thursday, while there is no F1 action on Friday.

Qualifying and the grand prix takes place on Saturday and Sunday, as normal.

Conditions are expected to be dry throughout the weekend with it set to be overcast on Saturday and Sunday.

Pirelli has nominated the C1, C2 and C3 compounds for this weekend - the softest tyres available in its range.

Ahead of the weekend, Pirelli's head of F1, Mario Isola said: “Monaco is unique, but its absence from the calendar since 2019 only emphasises its specific characteristics and makes us even more pleased to be going back there. Mechanical grip is key to success as is qualifying and strategy, with the renowned difficulty in overtaking. This puts the accent firmly on track position, with the drivers having to extract the very maximum from the softest C5 tyre in qualifying. Strategy tends to be reactive, with teams making their stops at the moment that gives them the maximum advantage on track, thanks also to a wide pit stop window resulting from the very low tyre wear and degradation.”