Monaco’s favorable Mediterranean climate seems to have taken leave for the 2015 Formula One Monaco Grand Prix this weekend, with overcast conditions and some rain predicted for both Saturday and Sunday. A mild high of 68 degrees F (20 degrees C) is forecast together with a very mild easterly wind of 8 mph.

We already saw some of the wet stuff cutting short Thursday’s practice session but the good news is that the chance of rain during Sunday’s race is very low. Pirelli has nominated its supersoft and soft compounds for the race but has the full wets on hand should the weather turn sour.

During the initial practice session, Mercedes AMG’s Lewis Hamilton proved fastest, followed by teammate Nico Rosberg and then the two Ferrari men Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Räikkönen. However, it’s hard to gauge the pace given the shortened session.

Going into qualifying tomorrow and Sunday’s race, Hamilton leads the 2015 Drivers’ Championship with 111 points. Rosberg is second with 91 points and Vettel is third with 80 points. In the Constructors’ Championship, Mercedes leads with 202 points followed by Ferrari with 132 points and Williams with 81 points.

In other F1 news, motorsport’s governing body the FIA has invited interested companies to tender to become the exclusive tire supplier for F1 for the 2017, 2018 and 2019 seasons. The contract of current supplier Pirelli ends next season. Michelin is considering putting forward a tender but only if certain aspects, such as the current requirement for tire degradation to create a challenge for drivers, is changed.

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