Circuit de Monaco

The Circuit de Monaco is a 3.337 km (2.074 mi) street circuit laid out on the city streets of Monte Carlo and La Condamine around the harbour of the Principality of Monaco. It is commonly referred to as "Monte Carlo" because it sits largely within that neighbourhood. The circuit is used annually on three weekends in April–May for the Formula One Monaco Grand Prix, the Formula E Monaco ePrix, and the Historic Grand Prix of Monaco. The Monaco Grand Prix is one of three events whose victory counts toward the Triple Crown of Motorsport.

The Circuit de Monaco has a rich history, dating back to its first Formula One event in 1950. The circuit has undergone several changes over the years, with the current layout being introduced in 2015. The circuit has been the site of many historic events, including the Monaco Grand Prix, which has been held there since 1950, with the exception of 1955 and 2020.

The Circuit de Monaco is famous for its challenging layout, particularly the famous Tabac corner, which is a slow right-hander that requires precise driving. The circuit also features a number of high-speed corners, including the Poulain and Loews corners, which are known for their high-speed entry and exit points.

The idea for a Grand Prix through the streets of Monaco came from Antony Noghès, president of the Automobile Club de Monaco and a close friend of the ruling Grimaldi family. The inaugural race was held in 1929 and was won by William Grover-Williams driving a Bugatti.

The Circuit de Monaco has hosted many significant events in the world of motorsport, including the Formula One Monaco Grand Prix, which is one of the most prestigious events on the Formula One calendar. The circuit has also hosted the Formula E Monaco ePrix, as well as the Historic Grand Prix of Monaco, which is a biennial event that celebrates the history of motorsport.

Only four local drivers have won a race at the circuit. Louis Chiron did so at the non-championship 1931 Monaco Grand Prix. Eighty-two years later, Stefano Coletti won the sprint race at the 2013 GP2 Series Monaco round. Stéphane Richelmi followed in the 2014 GP2 sprint race. The fourth was Charles Leclerc at the 2024 Monaco Grand Prix.

Because it is a city circuit, the track's layout is closely tied to the principality's road system and has remained substantially unchanged since 1929. Changes were almost entirely driven by urban development and safety requirements.

In the first editions, the start and finish sat on Boulevard Albert 1er. In 1955 they moved to the opposite straight overlooking the promenade. At that time neither the Piscine complex nor La Rascasse hairpin existed; after the Tabac curve, the route used a single narrow hairpin called the "Gasometer."

The most significant reconfiguration came in 1973, when a new section connecting the Tabac curve to the Piscine swimming pool was added, incorporating the La Rascasse hairpin and a new Antony Noghès curve before rejoining the start-finish straight. This added 0.133 km, bringing total length to 3.278 km. The tunnel was also extended in 1973 to accommodate the construction of the new Loews Hotel (later renamed the Fairmont). In 1976 the Sainte Dévote and Antony Noghès corners were modified with repositioned curbs.

In 1986 the harbour chicane was redesigned as the "Nouvelle Chicane," a slower double 90-degree turn replacing a previously fast and dangerous change of direction. Further changes in 1997 improved visibility at the first Piscine corner. In 2003, land reclaimed from the harbour widened the port lane between Piscine and La Rascasse, enabled expansion of the pit lane, and allowed installation of permanent two-storey pit structures. In 2004 the pit lane was revised so that the pits physically separate the lane from the track — making Monaco the only Formula 1 circuit where the pits do not face the track directly. Before the 2007 season the Grand Hotel hairpin's internal curb was significantly lowered and widened. In 2015 re-profiling of the Tabac curve shortened the circuit by three metres to its current 3.337 km.

The circuit requires six weeks to build and three weeks to dismantle after the race. It is narrow, with many elevation shifts and tight corners. It contains both the slowest corner in Formula One — the Fairmont Hairpin, taken at just 48 km/h (30 mph) — and one of the quickest, a flat-out kink in the tunnel taken at 260 km/h (160 mph). The maximum gradient near the Casino section reaches approximately 12%.

Overtaking is extremely rare. The 2021 Monaco Grand Prix featured only one overtake in 78 laps, when Mick Schumacher passed his teammate Nikita Mazepin on the opening lap. Nelson Piquet likened racing around the course to "riding a bicycle around your living room." Prior to 1987, the grid was limited to 20 cars, compared to 26 at other circuits.

The tunnel — running under the Fairmont Hotel — is said to be particularly demanding due to the rapid transition from light to dark and back, occurring at one of the fastest points of the lap. Additionally, a car can lose 20–30% of its downforce due to the tunnel's aerodynamic properties. Before the wet 1984 race, Bernie Ecclestone had local fire crews wet down the tunnel road at the request of McLaren driver Niki Lauda, to match the grip of the wet exterior track.

The circuit is generally recognised as less safe than other Formula One venues. Michael Schumacher stated before the 2012 Grand Prix that the additional risk is "justifiable once a year," and it is widely noted that, were it not an existing Grand Prix, it would not be permitted on the modern schedule. In January 2009 it was voted top of the "Seven Sporting Wonders of the World" in a poll of 3,500 British sports fans.

A lap begins with a short sprint up Boulevard Albert Ier to the tight Sainte-Dévote corner — a nearly 90-degree right-hand bend, named after the Sainte-Dévote Chapel just beyond the barriers, usually taken in first or second gear. The cars climb along Avenue d'Ostende before reaching the long left-hander at Massenet, then pass the Monte Carlo Casino before Casino Square. The cars snake down Avenue des Beaux Arts to the Mirabeau corner, then descend to the Fairmont Hairpin — so tight that teams must redesign steering and suspension to negotiate it, and virtually impossible for two modern F1 cars to take side by side.

After the hairpin, cars drop downhill through a double right-hander called Portier and enter the tunnel. On exit, heavy braking is required for the Nouvelle Chicane — the scene of major accidents for Karl Wendlinger in 1994, Jenson Button in 2003, and Sergio Pérez in 2011 — and generally the only section where overtaking can be attempted. A short straight leads to Tabac, a tight fourth-gear corner taken at about 195 km/h (121 mph). The cars then reach Piscine, a fast left–right followed by a slower right–left chicane past the Rainier III Nautical Stadium. La Rascasse follows — a 135-degree right-hander requiring full steering lock, remembered as the site of a controversial qualifying incident in 2006 when Michael Schumacher appeared to stop deliberately to prevent Fernando Alonso and Mark Webber from completing flying laps. The lap ends at Virage Antony Noghès, a tight right-hander that returns cars to the start-finish straight.

Monaco has only one DRS zone — active along the pit straight from Antony Noghès to Sainte-Dévote for 510 m — one of only three Formula One circuits with a single DRS zone, alongside Suzuka and Imola.

Cars run high downforce at Monaco not to increase cornering speed but to shorten braking distances and maintain stability under acceleration. Teams often fit special steering racks with larger pinion gears. Brake wear is not a primary concern, but keeping brakes at working temperature is difficult due to the low speeds; carbon brake discs can become glass-smooth and lose braking power. Engine cooling is also a concern because Formula One cars rely solely on airflow over the car, which is limited at Monaco's slow pace. Before 2014, teams also used closer ratio gearboxes to optimise acceleration from the many slow corners.

The circuit's history includes fatal crashes: Norman Linnecar (1948), Luigi Fagioli (1952), Dennis Taylor (1962), and Lorenzo Bandini (1967).

The circuit is also used for the Formula E Monaco ePrix. Formula E initially ran on a shorter 1.760 km layout (omitting the climb from Beau Rivage to the tunnel exit) for the 2014–15, 2016–17, and 2018–19 seasons. A revised layout of 3.318 km was introduced for the 2021 Monaco ePrix, and the full Formula One layout has been used since 2022.

Stage 1 of the 2009 Tour de France was an individual time trial that used portions of the circuit before diverging into France. The circuit has also served as a Super Special Stage for the WRC Monte Carlo Rally, including editions in 2008 and 2026.

Formula 2, FIA Formula 3, and Porsche Supercup compete concurrently with the Formula One weekend.

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