

5 - 7 JUNE 2026

Statistically,Β MonacoΒ isΒ the slowestΒ Grand PrixΒ of the season, but it always looks the fastest. With a racing line rarely more than millimetres away from the barriers, the 78 laps of the worldβs most famous street circuit pass by in a blur. It is, perhaps, theΒ ultimate test for a Formula 1 driverΒ and alsoΒ one of the worldβs most spectacular live sporting events: nowhere else do crowds get so close to F1.Β
The Circuit de Monaco is a throwback β not just to the early days of the F1 World Championship, but beyond that to the interwar period when the Monaco Grand Prix helped put the tiny principality on the map. While the circuit has been nipped and tucked since the first Monaco Grand Prix of 1929, the modern cars wind the same route through Monte Carlo as did those of that inaugural race. History is never far away at the Monaco Grand Prix.Β
ItΒ is,Β however, a circuit fundamentally unsuited to modern Formula 1 cars, which require a host of Monaco-specific adaptations β expect to see front wings cranked up to the maximum. The road surface is far from smooth, so the softest suspension settings are used to keep the wheels in contact with the surface and maximise traction.Β ThereβsΒ also a Monaco-specific steering rack,Β requiredΒ to get the cars around the tight, slow, Grand Hotel Hairpin (formerly known as Loews).Β
The key performance parameter, however, is driver confidence, and time on track during the practice sessions takes on extra significance here.Β
McLaren have a peerless Monaco record ofΒ 16 wins, many of which rank among the most iconic race wins in F1 history. Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost were bothΒ highly successfulΒ here for McLaren, winning eight races in nine years between 1984 and 1993 (Senna won the race with Lotus in 1987).Β The likes of Mika HΓ€kkinen, David Coulthard, Kimi RΓ€ikkΓΆnen, Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton have also won around the famous streets in McLaren colours. As of 2025, Lando Norris has joined that illustrious list, while in 2024, Oscar finished on the podium in our Senna-inspired livery.

MONACO GP



