Why Monaco is the Best Grand Prix on the F1 Calendar

However, when it does go smoothly it’s poetry in motion.

F1 fan Olivier Been was born and raised in Monaco. Below, he tells us what it was like being a part of the exclusive Principality surrounded by drivers and racing since he was a kid.

Discovering Formula 1 through his dad, Olivier watched the likes of Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost set laps around the streets he called home, but lost touch with the championship as he got older.

That was until his passion was reignited by Netflix’s Drive To Survive and he became obsessed once again.

Although he’s not been able to watch the Monaco GP in person since 2002, his memories and stories about the place remain just as relevant.

The track has been slightly modified since first being used in 1929 but generally remains relatively unchanged – retaining its iconic layout for decades and decades.

An ‘Unbelievable’ View

There is no shortage of stunning spots to watch the Monaco Grand Prix from if you’re able to get your hands on a ticket, and the best views don’t necessarily come from a private yacht in the harbour.

But instead there are excellent viewpoints dotted around the circuit from Casino Square to the Loews hairpin.

“When I was very young, my Dad took us for lunch during the Grand Prix in a restaurant in the Tabac Corner,” Olivier recalls.

“I would have been seven or eight at the time, so it would have been in 1987-88. The view was unbelievable. We were so close, and the noise was awesome.

“However, my favourite part of the track to watch is the swimming pool complex as the cars are going so fast. The stands near the chicane are also good.

“You have to walk the track or, even better, drive on it while the roads are open to understand how small the streets are and how tight the corners are.

A great example would be the corner in the tunnel. On TV it almost looks flat, but it really isn't!”

Soaking Up the Atmosphere

The Monaco Grand Prix is such a well-known event, often reaching an audience from outside the motorsport bubble. Often attended by the biggest names in sport and entertainment, it’s an unmissable event on the social and sporting calendar and is a bucket list race for lots of fans.

“The fans celebrate just being in such an iconic place,” says Olivier.

“My in-laws used to have a restaurant near the track located on Rue Grimaldi, one of the main arteries where people can walk to get to and from the track. We had a German tourist who visited every year just to sit inside and watch the race on the television.

“He loved the ambience of Monaco on a Grand Prix weekend so much that he was coming back every year - never bought a ticket for the actual race!”

Walking the Best Way to Get Around

Days in Monaco are often long, with several support series also racing. For 2025, Formula 2 and Formula 3 will once again be on the support bill. Nevertheless, when the on-track action stops and the sun starts to set, Monaco finds a new lease of life.

“It goes from the excitement of the race to complete chaos when the circuit opens and all the people in the grandstands move around.

“Going through the city during the Grand Prix is an absolute nightmare! If you live in Monaco, walking will be your best bet as even when the track opens the traffic is horrendous – although it is bad all year long anyway.

“If you come from outside Monaco, the train will be your best bet. The train station is very central and you can walk to the grid or near St Devote in about five to ten minutes.

“At night, there are parties, especially at "La Rascasse" - the restaurant that the corner gets its name from; this is my favourite!”

An ‘Electric’ Ambience

Being such a famous street circuit, and the promoters and organisers putting months and months of work into hosting the event, it’s easy to forget that Monaco returns to ‘normal’ once the racing is all over.

“Monaco, in general, is relatively quiet apart from the Summer months,” Olivier says.

“There are always tourists around the Casino and the Prince’s palace, otherwise not much is happening.

“The ambience is absolutely electric over the Grand Prix weekend! There are so many people everywhere and a lot of excitement, which is great! During the day you can hear the cars, as Monaco is surrounded by the mountains, so the sound of the cars echoes everywhere.”

Realities of Life in Monaco

“On a normal day – so not during a race weekend – you see the drivers fairly often,” says Olivier, who previously lived in the same building as former Austrian Formula 1 driver and now AMG brand ambassador, Karl Wendlinger.

“David Coulthard was a couple of buildings away,” he added.

“During the Grand Prix weekend, if you go near the paddock area, you might see the drivers. They usually walk up from the paddock to the pits and vice versa, although there would be grids between you and them. You would be very close and could maybe ask for an autograph.”

One of Olivier’s fondest memories from his time living in Monaco was being able to stand next to motorsport royalty during a rather unique race.

“Monaco used to organise a go-kart race,” he begins.

“The go-kart track would go where the pits are, which is a promenade during the rest of the year, and then down to the swimming pool and back up. I watched the race next to Mika Häkkinen, which was pretty cool!”