Could weather disrupt Verstappen's Monaco victory bid?

Max Verstappen's hope for a dry, boring Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix look set to be dashed by the arrival of thunderstorms on Sunday afternoon in Monte Carlo.

The World Champion is primed to take his championship lead to as many as 40 points if he wins with fastest lap and teammate Sergio Perez fails to finish in the points – which, with the Mexican starting from 20th on the grid, is a strong possibility.

If Verstappen gets through Turn 1 and up to Casino Square with the #1 Red Bull leading, he will be favourite to convert the lead into a fourth win of the season and second in the Principality. He'd also break Sebastian Vettel's record of 38 wins for the team.

But the Monaco weather gods – no doubt inspired by the Fernando Alonso rain dance – might have a spanner or two to throw into the works...

Rain possible in Monaco

RacingNews365.com weather partner Weeronline have predicted that heavy thunderstorms could arrive at 16:00 local time.

That is an hour into the race, during which a temperature of 24 degrees Celsius is expected.

Those storms are predicted to move out of the area over the course of the hour, but could inject some jeopardy into proceedings.

The 2022 Monaco GP was also affected by wet weather, with a lengthy delay to the start following a downpour and computer system glitches.

Perez won the race, while Lewis Hamilton has taken victory in the previous two rain-affected Grands Prix in 2008 and 2016.