Monaco Grand Prix: Preview

Monaco’s roads were first used for competitive automotive racing in 1929 and the circuit, allied with its glamorous location on the exotic Riviera, meant it swiftly established itself as one of the most renowned sporting events. Monaco was part of the inaugural Formula 1 World Championship season in 1950 and this year will mark the 70th world championship event around its streets, a figure that has been surpassed only by Italy’s Autodromo Nazionale Monza.

Monaco’s layout has had only occasional revisions since its first iteration in 1929, with most of the landmarks and curves that comprise the 3.3km circuit still identifiable to the version traversed by the finest racers of the late 1920s. It is a congested and cramped layout for modern Formula 1 machinery, with inch-perfect precision required to skim the barriers, and barely any breathing room across the course of a lap for those behind the wheel.

Drivers must build up confidence as the track surface ramps up through the course of a weekend, with the tarmac pounded by drivers in the daytime and used by motorists and revelers at night. Track position is vital around Monaco, more so than any other venue, given that passing opportunities are almost non-existent owing to the twisty and narrow nature of the circuit. Teams and drivers must also be alert to the landscape of the race changing in an instant, with safety car phases and race suspensions a distinct possibility, while rain showers can roll in over the mountains and influence the outcome, as happened in the last two races in 2022 and 2023.

MoneyGram Haas F1 Team drivers Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen are both wise to Monaco’s challenges, with Hulkenberg having tackled the event 10 times, and Magnussen seven. Hulkenberg classified a best of fifth, in 2014, while Magnussen has scooped two top 10 results around the streets of the Principality. 

 

Ayao Komatsu – Team Principal:

“I’m looking forward to Monaco because this year the team has worked pretty well in the wind tunnel to come up with the Monaco downforce level required, which is different from previous years. In terms of consistency with the car, we seem to have better consistency, and obviously, in Monaco drivers need lots of confidence, they need to trust the car. One thing that remains to be seen is the balance of the car; in Monaco you can have too much understeer and then you won’t go quick, so that’s one of the issues with this year’s car, I think. We’re aware of it so we’ll try to get that balance right, and if we can do that, it might be a pretty interesting weekend.

“Monaco qualifying is everything, driver confidence is everything, track time is everything – so you really can’t be messing around with car set-up too much. It means the car you roll out with on Friday morning has to be right, then you just have to let the driver get as many laps in as possible; there’s more lap time in them than with tuning bits on the car.

“The challenge is you have to get car set-up right before you run, if you like. If you send the car out and car set-up is not right, you can’t spend 15 minutes in the garage to change the car because that 15 minutes is track time lost. Between runs, you should really be getting the driver to look at the data, see where they need to improve, and then get them out as soon as possible. The engineers’ challenge is more about start set-up having to be in the ballpark, and then once you’re running, just focus on giving drivers confidence.

“It is enjoyable because it’s a totally different challenge to any other race track, it’s unique. It’s what makes Monaco unique and we’re all looking forward to it.”   

 

Nico Hulkenberg:

“I’ve lived in Monaco since 2015, this will be my 11th Monaco Grand Prix, and I've watched the race many times growing up. Monaco is iconic, it’s all about tradition; the palace, the hotels, and many places that still have a dress code to be able to get in. The history and the heritage there, everyone embraces and respects that, which I like.

“There’s always a bit more focus on qualifying here in Monaco. But it’s the same every weekend, from scratch you need to try to get a good feeling for the car, and the difficulty with qualifying in Monaco is that you really need to master the lap and put all three sectors together. It’s a ride on a knife edge and challenging every year and one of my favorite tracks to drive, I look forward to the ride and the challenge.”





Kevin Magnussen:

“It’s the best track on the calendar to drive, it’s just phenomenal on these little tight streets with walls everywhere. The feeling of driving a Formula 1 car in Monaco, to me, is the best of the year. We know there’s no overtaking in the race, so it does feel now with all these other races where overtaking is pretty good and racing is pretty good, that it is a bit of a weird one because there’s so little. Maybe there could be more qualifying sessions or a Sprint to throw a curveball. The Monaco Grand Prix is a part of the triple crown, it’s one of those races where if you win that, it’s extra special, and having driven around there it's so special, so I hope it stays on the calendar.

“At other races, you’re doing laps to explore different techniques, you’ve found the limit quickly. In Monaco, you’re just getting closer and closer to the limit, and as it’s a track that’s really being used, it’s got so much track evolution.

“Monaco is one where all the partying that’s going on, it’s pretty visible. At other races, the parties are happening in clubs in the city, in Monaco, they’re happening on the track in Rascasse, and people are spilling drinks on the track! I love Monaco, it’s my favorite race.”