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The Circuit
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Race
George Russell
1:15.228 Fastest Lap
78 Laps
5th
Lewis Hamilton
1:14.165 Fastest Lap
78 Laps
7th
Qualifying
George Russell
1:10.543 Fastest Lap
28 Laps
5th
Lewis Hamilton
1:10.621 Fastest Lap
28 Laps
7th
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The Circuit

History. That’s one of the first things you think of when you think of Monaco. The first ‘Monaco Grand Prix’ took place in April 1929, but Formula 1 as we know it wasn’t founded at that point in time. Instead, we mark the 1950 Monaco Grand Prix as the first F1 race around the principality, and what an event that was. A rogue wave hit the track at Tabac corner on the opening lap, sending water everywhere and cars spinning which resulted in 10 retirements.

Fortunately, safety has rapidly improved since then and although its tight walls might seem intimidating, it’s known for being very safe and having an incredible crew of marshals ready to help.

The circuit itself is 3.3km long and the shortest on the calendar, with 19 recognisable corners. From starting at Sainte Devote, going up the hill into Casino Square, down to the Fairmont Lowes Hairpin, through the awesome tunnel, into Tabac, chucking it through the swimming pool chicane complex and round past Rascasse, this circuit is not short of amazing twists and turns.

There’s not much stress on the tyres as braking is quite low around here, and the abrasion levels are almost non-existent as the Automobile Club de Monaco regularly resurfaces the track before the event. There is however high traction and downforce levels, which is often represented by the huge rear wings teams will bring to his race to help with aerodynamics.

You should also always be aware of the weather, as it can have a mind of its own in Monaco. Being part of a microclimate means that rain clouds can swoop in with very little notice and have been known to cause huge downpours right before the race begins. Driving around Monaco is difficult at the best of times, but when it rains it becomes another level of challenging.

Fact File: Monaco Grand Prix

  • Clocking in at just 3.337 km in length, the Circuit de Monaco is the shortest track on the current F1 calendar. The next shortest circuit we visit is Zandvoort, which is nearly a full kilometre longer at 4.259 km.

  • The race sees the highest lap count of any event with 78 tours of the circuit forming the Monaco Grand Prix. It is the only race that does not adhere to the FIA's mandated 305 km minimum distance, measuring 260.286 km.

  • It also has the shortest run from pole position to the braking zone for the first corner, measuring just 114 metres.

  • Just 34% of the lap is spent at full throttle. That is significantly lower than the 43% of the lap at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico that is spent at full throttle, the next lowest total on the calendar.

  • Taken at just 45 km/h, the hairpin at turn six is the slowest corner F1 cars negotiate across the season. Being the tightest 180° corner on the calendar, special steering racks are used that allow for more steering angle.

  • With three victories around the streets of the principality, Lewis is the most successful driver on the current grid at the Monaco Grand Prix. Fernando Alonso and Max Verstappen have taken two wins, whilst Sergio Perez has claimed one apiece.

  • From the seven races in F1's inaugural 1950 season, only four of them remain on the calendar in 2023: the British, Monaco, Belgian and Italian Grands Prix. All four races take place on the same circuits they did in 1950: Silverstone, Circuit de Monaco, Spa-Francorchamps, and Monza.

  • The first-ever Monaco Grand Prix was organised in 1929 by Antony Noghès. The final corner of the circuit is named in his honour.

  • First GP
    1950
  • Circuit Length
    3.337km
  • Race Distance
    260.286km
  • Laps
    78

Everything You Need To Know: Monaco

Monaco; the jewel in the crown. Known for being steeped in history, it is a thrill and a true challenge for the drivers. Once compared to “riding a bicycle around your living room”, the 3.337km is the shortest circuit we have on the calendar but is an iconic staple of our year.

A street circuit in every meaning of the world, the track twists and turns around the famous principality going through tunnels, around harbours and along roads that are normally taken up by expensive traffic jams. The narrow streets and large Formula 1 cars can mean that overtaking is a struggle – but not impossible – which makes qualifying the most important day of the weekend.

From wherever you qualify, it is then a battle of survival to keep out of the barriers and bring the car home with every lap needing to be perfect. Although the marshals in Monte Carlo are some of the best in the world, undergoing incredible training, there is a very high chance for Safety Cars.

Aside from Monza, which has hosted 73 championship events, Monaco is the second most-visited circuit we visit in F1. Since appearing on the original 1950 Grand Prix calendar, it has welcomed the championship back an impressive 69 times with this being the 70th official occasion – one to celebrate.

Although the schedule used to be unique here, with Free Practice 1 and 2 being held on the Thursday and no on-track action on the Friday, it was changed from 2022 to reflect the more traditional schedule of Friday practice, Saturday Qualifying and Sunday being race day.

Lewis Hamilton holds the lap record here, a 1m12.909s from his time in 2021 with the Silver Arrows, and as a constructor we have won here five times.

Our Successes

Since our return to Formula 1, we have stood on the top step of the world-famous podium on five occasions. The first time was in 2013, when Nico Rosberg won the event and made history. Nico’s win meant that he followed in his father’s footsteps (Keke Rosberg) to win the Monaco Grand Prix – 30 years apart from one another.

However, Nico wasn’t done there. In fact, the German World Champion went on to lock in a hat-trick of victories around the principality he knew so well; growing up around these special streets. He started from pole for the 2014 race to win in style, and in 2015 took the lead from Lewis, who went on to finish third.

Lewis was able to get his victory with the team though, bouncing back in 2016 to win a stunning race. Lewis made a brave call to postpone a tyre change on a drying circuit after it had rained before lights out, opting to switch straight to a dry compound. From there, he put on a defending masterclass to keep others behind him.

Before the 2019 event, the team was devastated to learn of Niki Lauda’s passing. The former three-time F1 World Champion was not only an extraordinary talent and symbol of hope on the track, but also a businessman and the non-executive chairman of the board at Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team.

To honour his memory, the team had a special red halo on the car for the 2019 Monaco Grand Prix and you’ll notice a special three-pointed star turned red on every one of our F1 cars to honour our friend Niki. We even named the road our Brackley factory resides on as ‘Lauda Drive’.

Lewis was especially close to Niki, which made his win around Monaco for the 2019 event even more magical. Starting from pole, Lewis was able to bring it home for our most recent win around the Monte Carlo streets. Our seven-time champion has stood on the podium on seven occasions in Monaco, just one shy of the legendary Ayrton Senna who had eight.

As a constructor we have had 10 podiums and five pole positions in Monaco.

One of the most memorable moments from our time in Monaco came in 2012, when Michael Schumcaher achieved his last pole position here. Having come out of retirement to join us on our return to F1, the icon managed an incredible lap to put himself P1. However, a five-place grid penalty from the previous Spanish Grand Prix meant he was forced to start in sixth on race day. Nevertheless, a wonderful moment that we will always treasure.

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