Monaco is a special place for the three groups of people: the rich, the famous, and Formula One fans. Monaco is one of a handful of tracks that have stood the test of time and predates F1. The class and elegance of the tiny country south of France is the second smallest country in the world (only the Vatican is smaller). The country is only 0.80 square miles. The street circuit is the smallest on the Formula One calendar, and it is getting a special waiver of the FIA rules for an F1 event that is less than three miles long as it stretches across the entire country.
The Near Century-Long History
The history of Monaco dates back to 1929 organized by Antony Nogès, with Blessings from the Prince of Monaco Louis II. The Grand Prix went on a decade-long hiatus due to World War II and the financial constraints in the aftermath of the war. Then, canceling the events in 1949 due to the death of Prince Louis II and in 1951,1953 and 1954 for financial and F1 regulations questions.
In 1955, the race was held every year till the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Each race has its own story. Monaco is a part of the Triple Crown of motorsports, Monaco being the technical leg of the Triple Crown with the Indy 500 and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The tight corners and straights make this track one of, if not the toughest, in Formula One.
Monaco traditionally ran on the same weekend as the Indy 500 and the Coke 600, making (In the United States) A Memorial Day triple header of racing and one of the greatest days of the year for Motorsport fans. Although in the F1 world, many have called for Monaco to be taken off the calendar due to the difficulties to overtake because, over the decades, the F1 car has increased in size, making less room for error and even more difficult.
RedBull looking for Four in a row at Monaco
Not even Monaco is excluded from Red Bull’s dominance. Max Verstappen is the defending winner with Sergio “Checo” Perez winning in 2022 and Verstappen in 2021. With a victory from Checo or Verstappen this weekend they would tie Mercedes in wins with eight putting them third on the constructors list for wins behind McLaren and Ferrari.
Verstappen is looking to go back-to-back, he would be the first driver to go back-to-back since Nico Rosberg who won three in a row in 2013-2015. Fernando Alonso is the only active driver to accomplish the feat in 2006 and 2007, and only 7 drivers have won the race in successive years. Not even Lewis Hamilton or Sebastian Vettel were able to go back to back at this historic street circuit.
If Verstappen wins this weekend it would be his third win at Monaco, tying Sir Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg, Sir Jackie Stewart, and Sir Stirling Moss. The late Ayrton Senna holds the record for most wins with six victories at the tight street circuit. If Hamilton pulls off the upset he will tie the Frenchmen Alain Prost with four.
2024 Monaco Grand Prix
A Max Verstappen victory is far from a sure thing. With the emergence of McLaren after their upgrades coming into the Miami Grand Prix. McLaren has had the fastest car in the last two races compared to Red Bull. Ferrari also got to showcase their upgrades last weekend although the Ferrari upgrades were not as effective as McLaren’s but still showed flashes of speed over the weekend in Imola.
At Monaco, the most important decision to be made is when to pit. The undercut or overcut (running short or longer than the normal stint) isn’t as important as when you come out of the pits. If you have an open track in front, you’ll be able to pass your competitors with the pit cycle. At Formula 1 today, no one is better at that than Red Bull Strategist Hannah Schmitz.
The traditional pit strategy is quite simple based on the 2023 numbers. The first strategy starts on the medium tire, with the pit window being to lap 30-38 and finishing the race on the hards. The other strategy is starting on the softs and pitting earlier, with the window being lap 22-30. For drivers like Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton, and Fernando Alonso, who are famous for taking care of their tires, starting on the soft tire is a viable option, should they have problems in qualifying and need that extra speed to dig themselves out of a hole.
Greatest Moments in Monaco
One of the more interesting moments came in 1982. Alain Prost is leading the race with two laps to go. Rain came down hard and quickly, causing Prost to spin and crash out. Handing the lead to Riccardo Patrese, but he spun out as well, handing the lead to Didier Pironi, but he ran out of fuel. Andrea de Cesaris took the lead, who promptly ran out of fuel, as well as handing the lead to Derek Daly, whose transmission broke, allowing Patrese to recover for the win. All that happened in the final two laps.
In 1992 Nigel Mansell dominated the race, however, his tires began to go flat forcing him to pit. In the exchange, Mansell lost the lead to Ayrton Senna. Mansell, having an active suspension, one of the inventions of F1 that has made it to everyday street cars, was able to close the gap, but Senna, showing why he is one of the best in F1 history, puts on a masterclass drive to hold off Mansell and win the Grand Prix.
In 1984 Ayrton Senna had his official coming out party. Qualified 19th for a back marker Toleman Team. Senna is only a rookie in lesser equipment starting from the back. The skies opened up raining hard on many world-champion drivers struggling to navigate the tight confines of Monaco. Senna put up laps 4 seconds faster than leader Alain Prost and won the 1984 Monaco Grand Prix as a rookie.
About The Author
Dillon Hildreth is a writer for Total Apex and a lifelong fan of Football with my favorite teams being the New England Patriots and the Georgia Bulldogs. Dillon is also a fan of Motorsports Red Bull in Formula One and William Byron in NASCAR. You can catch Dillon Stream F1, NASCAR, and other video games and sidecasts on Twitch.
