Out of all the races in motorsports, the Monaco Grand Prix ranks number one in terms of repute. One of the oldest races in the Formula 1 Calendar, the Monaco GP was first held in the year 1929. Therefore it is quite evident that history plays a major role to play in making the race so highly regarded.
The track has produced some iconic races over the years. Some of the more recent ones include Lewis Hamilton‘s victory at the 2008 Monaco GP. It was special for Hamilton because, after making a mistake on lap 6 and losing his rear right tire, Hamilton made a gamble to shift to intermediate tires during a wet race, anticipating that it might dry out soon. And so it did, which meant that Hamilton could make a fierce charge from P5 to P1 and ensure an amazing victory.
Lewis Hamilton takes a heroic win ’round the Monte Carlo streets 🤩
Relive all the highlights from an action-packed 2008 Monaco Grand Prix ⬇️#MonacoGP #F1 @LewisHamilton @McLarenF1
— Formula 1 (@F1) May 21, 2023
Another iconic race at Monaco happened in 1996 when, once again, rain led to a lot of drama. Olivier Panis, who started from P14, fought his way up to the lead during the race. While still in the lead, Panis’ team told the Frenchman that he was low on fuel, and with a few more laps to go, he had to lift and coast. Meanwhile, David Coulthard’s McLaren kept closing in on him. Nevertheless, Panis held on to P1 for a brilliant and thrilling victory.
The Monaco GP also attracts some of the biggest celebrities in the world. Super athletes like Cristiano Ronaldo, who visited the race in 2019, to movie stars like Tom Holland, who was a guest for McLaren in 2021, the annual outing in the principality has always been a favorite for the stars.
Why The Monaco GP Is So Special?
Monaco definitely carries a lot of history with it, and it has seen many iconic races. But the same can be said for quite a few racing circuits around the world. Therefore, it is presumable that there are a lot of reasons other than history that create the grandeur of the Monaco GP.
The first and most important reason is the track itself. Monaco is the narrowest circuit on the calendar and it has absolutely no run-off areas. If a driver makes a mistake, that is it. It is quite easily the hardest track on the calendar to maneuver an F1 car around. To have 1000-horsepower cars driving on the edge through narrow streets and tunnels boggles the mind.
Monaco is the track where one can get the closest to the Formula 1 cars, watching them drive by at 300 kmph. As a Formula 1 fan who attended the Monaco Grand Prix describes it, “The cars are so close I have to hold my hat to prevent it from blowing off. You can see the drivers’ faces. I’ve been to other Grands Prix, but never this close.”
The sound produced by the cars is another exciting aspect of Formula 1 racing. And at Monaco, it can get deafeningly loud. “The noise, oh the noise. It’s deafening. It’s so much louder here than other races, it echoes off the buildings. The RBR cars smell different from the others as they go past. Weird.” describes the same fan.
Take me back to #Monaco – it still baffles me how close we get to the #F1 cars! 🏎️#MonacoGP pic.twitter.com/b4LZtv31E3
— Thomas Pickup (@thomaspickup) November 10, 2022
What adds to the whole experience is the dock right beside the circuit where millionaires on their ultra luxurious yachts congregate to watch the race. Then there are all the celebrities from around the world and the ridiculous after-hour parties that go on throughout the weekend.
The Monaco Grand Prix is a grand display of all the things that wealth can buy. It is everything that Formula 1 has to provide, cramped within a few square kilometers. The cars, the sounds, the machines, the smell, the wealth, the royalty, all of it condensed into walking distance.
Focus in the US today on the Indy 500 and the Coca Cola 600, but neither comes close to the other race that happened today — the Monaco Grand Prix. pic.twitter.com/espzFophwz
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) May 28, 2018
Why the Monaco GP is Under Threat
Despite having a lot of history, the track was not built for modern cars. They are too wide and long to actually race each other on the track. In recent times, it is the pole sitter who has usually claimed victory.
Monaco such a boring race wish they’d scrap it
— James CFC #LH44 (@jamesset1994) May 18, 2023
It is extremely difficult to overtake in Monaco, the narrow street circuit provides no major overtaking opportunities. Added to this is the fact that the lack of runoff areas means that if a driver tries to overtake, he cannot just run wide like he can on other tracks. There is more risk than reward for a driver to attempt overtakes. Therefore the lack of overtaking leads to boring races. This has led to some fans calling for the Monaco GP to be replaced by other options.
UP NEXT: The stunning, legendary, iconic, and boring af MONACO GP
Let the over-hype of Snoozapalooza begin
— ¹ ¹¹ *⋆NEXT UP: MONACO*⋆ (@Maxs2Cats) May 17, 2023
It should be noted, however, that more overtaking does not necessarily equate to better entertainment. As explained by former F1 driver Eddie Irvine to Atlas F1, “Loads of overtaking is boring. It’s like fishing. You go fishing and you catch a fish every ten minutes and it’s boring. But if you sit there all day and you catch a mega fish—and an overtaking maneuver now has to be mega, it isn’t going to be easy—and you come back with stories.”
