Monaco

About

The Monaco Grand Prix is well renown for being one of the most glamourous races in F1 but it also boasts being one of the longest standing motorsport venues in the world. The circuit is a tight and twisty barrier lined circuit that navigates the streets of the seaside city of Monte Carlo. The circuit has some extremely iconic complexes like St Devote, Casino Square and La Rascasse which make up this challenging circuit where drivers have to use every inch of road and brush the barriers to be fast. The circuit is one of the hardest to overtake on with the tunnel complex leading into the first chicane being the place where most manoeuvres are made. Due to the narrow and twisty nature of the circuit, drivers often make unorthodox overtaking attempts to avoid processional racing resulting in crashes and added excitement for spectators. The circuit has remained very much the same since the first race held here but increased safety measures have been introduced to meet the stringent safety required nowadays. The first race was held here in 1929 and was won by the British driver W Williams. It was not until 1950 that the first F1 Grand Prix took place at Monaco but the circuit soon become the one that drivers wanted to win more than the others on the calendar. The list of drivers to have won this event includes some of the greatest in the world including the likes of Hill, Moss, Stewart, Prost, Senna and Schumacher who all enjoyed era's of domination here. The venue is a favourite for spectators as they can get a lot closer to the race cars and they can enjoy the vibrant city atmosphere which offers some of the most luxurious restaurants, bars, hotels and casinos in the world. With Monaco being a street circuit, it is reopened for use by cars as part of the city's road network every evening creating a display of the most glamourous cars in the world with the owners not wanting to miss the opportunity of driving on the prestigious circuit. The city also holds an historic race weekend every two years a fortnight before the F1 weekend where spectators can go back in time and watch historic F1 cars and F3 cars racing around the streets. Monaco is named the crown jewel in the F1 calendar and seems primed to hold onto this mantle for years to come as the possibility of it not holding a grand prix seems unlikely.