The Monaco Grand Prix had its debut race in 1950, and is set to be apart of the calander until at least 2025. The race around Monte Carlo is unequivocally the crown jewel of F1 where nine of the 20 drivers call the country by the Mediterranean Sea home. The technical circuit is 3.34km long circuit, has 19 Turns and 1 DRS zone.

The Monaco GP is the hardest circuit to overtake on, with Fernando Alonso recently saying that “until Sunday it is probably the best weekend of the year”. Around this circuit, only the best will thrive, with it being a true driver’s track. So much of the track is narrow with curbs everywhere so it’s a real challenge.

Going into Turn 1, drivers must be careful not to lock up and go straight into the TECPRO barriers. Exiting Sainte Devote, you’re faced with the epic up-hill climb into Massenet and Casino Square. At Turn 3 you must hug the inside corner for a good exit out of 4. At turn 5 we’ve seen time and time again drivers locking up and having to go off into an escape road. Going around the hairpin and exiting the tunnel for Turn 10, drivers must be careful to choose the braking point correctly or else they’ll lock up. That said, as there’s more leniency for error there (as you can just go straight through the chicane), drivers will take more risks.

Now we’re into the most challenging final sector where the drivers will want to carry as much speed through Turns 13 and 14 which showcases the speed of these Formula 1 cars. Exiting Turn 14 and coming into Turn 15, the cars get unbelievably close to the barriers so they can carry as much speed through into Turn 16. We often see crashes here as the front right tyre hits the wall at Turn 15, damaging the axle and suspension making the car impossible to steer. Going into the entry of turn 18 is quite narrow, so drivers should be careful to not hit the walls but let’s be honest, that rule should be followed everywhere around the Monaco GP!

As the roads are normally used for road cars, the track surface is particularly smooth. Expect to see Pirelli to bring the grippiest compound (C3 – C5). The tyres around Monaco don’t get very stressed thanks to the low average speed and short circuit, where only 1/3 is spent under full throttle. That said, the 78 lap race can cause graining thanks to its plethora of turns. Come Sunday, the track will “rubbered in” due to the other support races happening so it won’t be a massive problem then.

The likelihood of there being a safety car is extremely high at 70%. Pitting under a safety car allows teams to get a cheap pitstop as their competition isn’t driving as quick whilst they’re in the pits. Track position around Monaco is key for any success so a SC can really mix things up. As a result, teams will try and extend their drivers as much as possible to allow them to benefit from a “free” pitstop. Peter Hall and fellow strategists may split the drivers with one chasing a SC pitstop and another overcutting their competition.

The overcut is powerful around Monaco, as we saw in 2021. Due to the low tyre stress, it takes a longer period of time to “turn on” the tyres and get them up to temperature. Also, due to the high likelihood of your opponent getting caught in traffic, you can make up time whilst keeping track position where you can possibly benefit from a safety car.

During Lap 1 Turn 1, everyone will be trying to make up positions. However, the sprint into Sainte Devote is short so it’ll be hard to achieve. As a result, the soft compound’s normal strength is obsolete here. One strategy seen during the 2023 GP could reoccur with Sergio Perez (after a poor qualifying) starting on softs and immediately pitting for hards hoping to go long. Though the risk of a SC can cause set-backs.

With that, expect to see a mix with the starting compounds between Mediums and Hards. Everyone will be electing their compound with the best hope of keeping track position. The pit window is larger than normal thanks to everyone wanting to bank on the likelihood of Safety Car. The advantage of going on the Hard tyre is that you can really extend for the hope of a cheap pitstop, but if there is one early on you’re going to struggle later in the race (as you’ll have to box for Mediums).

Qualifying is really important around Monte Carlo with it being the hardest track to overtake on (Fernando Alonso 2022 slowing half of the grid down). Traffic during Q1 and Q2 is a major problem with many drivers being displaced, such as Alonso and Perez in 2024.

TRIVIA:

• Fastest lap record: 1L12.909 – Lewis Hamilton
• Most wins: Ayrton Senna – 6
• Pitloss: 19s:12s (Green : Safety Car)
• 78 Laps

2024 TYRE STRATEGY: