Race-day coverage underway at 11.30pm on Sky Sports F1; Four cars crash out in this morning's Porsche race
Tuesday 31 May 2016 11:37, UK
The hopes of Lewis Hamilton have been granted after heavy race-day rain fell on Sunday morning in Monaco.
After qualifying third behind maiden pole-sitter Daniel Ricciardo and world championship leader Nico Rosberg, an otherwise-forlorn Hamilton told reporters: "Hopefully it rains - that will be pretty amazing."
The forecast showers began to fall at 6am and by 9am had turned heavy. And while it was only spitting 90 minutes before the race, much of the twisty circuit was still soaked from the earlier downpours.
Hamilton says problems are 'becoming the norm'
"Rain on top of 3 days of slick racing rubber = ice rink grip. Monaco GP is a must watch race today, live on SkyF1 from 1130UK and NowTV too," tweeted Sky F1's Martin Brundle.
For the Sunday morning Porsche race, the conditions were so treacherous that four cars crashed into Ste Devote, triggering a red flag and an early end to the race.
After week-long blue skies, a blanket of grey cloud shrouded the legendary circuit.
The race begins at 1pm UK Time and at 2pm local time. According to forecasters, the rain is likely to remain until around 3pm - approximately two-thirds of the way through the showpiece event - with conditions gradually improving throughout the afternoon.
