Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc took pole position in Monaco in both 2021 and 2022, and was third on the grid last year behind Verstappen and Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso.

Leclerc grew up in Monaco and said: “I would be surprised if I am not in the mix for pole at least.”

The 26-year-old said the challenge of the tight and twisty street circuit was arguably the greatest on the calendar.

“What you have in Monaco more than the tracks is the risk assessment,” Leclerc said. “This is where the driver can make a big difference by taking more risk. It either pays off or not at all.

“As soon as you try to go a bit more on the limit, you straight away see it on the lap time. Coming Q3, you start to get pretty close to the walls but it is exciting. I don’t get that feeling anywhere else on the calendar.”

Lewis Hamilton said he believed Mercedes would have a better weekend in Monaco after some difficult recent races.

And Alonso, whose team have suffered an alarming dip in form in the past two events, said he was “optimistic we can do a strong weekend”.