The Monaco Grand Prix is one of the most iconic and prestigious events on the Formula 1 calendar, not just because of its long history, but also because of the mystique that surrounds it. It was first held in 1929, making it one of the sport’s oldest races and it is also part of what’s known as motor racing’s Triple Crown, along with the Le Mans 24 Hours and the Indianapolis 500 Miles. Narrow streets, tight turns, steep climbs and descents and the famous tunnel that leads onto the harbour are some of the defining characteristics that make Monaco a track like no other. It’s a place where precision is more important than power, with virtually no room for mistakes.

Apart from the actual racing, the Monaco Grand Prix is a unique social event, a mix of sport, elegance and glamour, generating an atmosphere all of its own. From a technical point of view, it is a very complicated race: the cars run with maximum aero downforce and with very limited overtaking opportunities, qualifying generally plays a key role in determining the winner. Ultimately, Monaco is much more than just a race, it’s a symbolic celebration of the purest and most spectacular essence of Formula 1.

Once again, the drivers who make it to the podium will wear a special edition of the classic Pirelli Podium Cap, designed by Denis Dekovic and featuring the colours of the Monegasque flag. It’s the fifth version of the Podium Cap introduced this year by Pirelli Design and it is already on sale on the dedicated e-commerce platform (https://store.pirelli.com/).

The compounds
For a second consecutive race, Pirelli has selected the three softest compounds from the 2025 range. As in Imola last week, the C4 will be the Hard, the C5 the Medium and the C6 the Soft, with the first two being the mandatory compounds for the race.

This weekend will see an important change to the regulations, specifically for this event only. During the race, two pit stops will be mandatory (for a full explanation see the “Keyword” section below).

The aim of the FIA and F1 is to inject more excitement into a race that has often been very linear and predictable, as was very much the case last year (see specific section below).

As part of this rule change, each driver will also be allocated an additional set of Full Wets, on top of the usual two, so that the two-stop rule can be applied even if conditions require the use of extreme wet tyres.

It will be interesting to see how this affects teams’ race strategies. For example, with no clear pit-stop windows, it could present opportunities for drivers starting from further back to move up the order by making the most of running in clean air.

Having two stops should also rule out concerns about tyre degradation, even if it is in any case very low at this track. It could even lead to the use of the Soft compound, especially for those making a late second stop or in the case of a Safety Car period in the closing stages.

In 2024
In the Monaco Grand Prix drivers usually pit just once to change tyres, but last year, out of a theoretical field of 20, only six drivers made an actual in-race pit stop. That was because the race was red flagged on the opening lap so that all the drivers still in the race were able to immediately adhere to the rule that two different compounds must be used, with the nine who started on the Medium switching to Hard and the remaining 11 doing the opposite. After the restart, only six drivers actually pitted under racing conditions. Of these, Guanyu Zhou opted for Softs but clearly gained no performance advantage as he was still last. It made for a dull race, with the top ten taking the chequered flag in grid order.

The track
Winding its way through the streets of the Principality usually open to normal traffic, the track is 3.337 kilometres long and tackled 78 times in the race. Very narrow with 19 corners, some of them very tight, there are virtually no run-off areas and the barriers are so close that the drivers often brush against them, as they strive to use every available inch of road.

Around half the track has been resurfaced, specifically from turn 12 to turn 3, so that this section should now be as smooth as the rest of the circuit. This type of surface does not promote tyre grip and could lead to graining, especially in the first couple of practice sessions. Then, as the racing line gets rubbered-in, the situation should improve, while bearing in mind that the track is reopened to road traffic at the end of each day.

Keyword: Sporting Regulations
The sporting regulations were recently modified to require two mandatory pitstop for this race. The specific rule is Article 30.5, paragraph m. Here is a synopsis of its content.

“…For the Monaco race, each driver must use at least three different types of tyre (either dry or wet). If a driver does not use intermediate or wet tyres in the race, they must use at least two different slick tyre compounds, of which one must be from the mandatory dry compounds (Hard or Medium). Unless the race is suspended and cannot be re-started, failure to comply with these requirements will result in the disqualification of the relevant driver from the race results. In this case thirty seconds will be added to the elapsed time of any driver who did not, when required to do so, use at least two specifications of dry-weather tyre during the race, or who did not use at least three sets of tyres of any specification during the race. Furthermore, an additional thirty seconds will be added to the elapsed time of any driver who used only one set of tyres of any specification during the race.”

Statistics Corner
The Monaco Grand Prix was the second round of the 1950 season, the inaugural year of the Drivers’ World Championship. It saw the first appearance of Scuderia Ferrari, the only team to have taken part in every edition of motor racing’s blue riband series. The Italian marque heads the field when it comes to World Championships (15 Drivers’ and 16 Constructors’), wins (248), pole positions (253), fastest race laps (263) and podium finishes (830).

There have been 70 Monaco GP to date, as it was off the calendar from 1951 to 1954 and in 2020. The “Prince” (the four-wheeled variety) of Monaco is Ayrton Senna with six wins, followed by Graham Hill and Michael Schumacher on five. The Brazilian also holds the record for the most pole positions (5) and podiums (8).

McLaren is the most successful team in the Principality with 15 wins, followed by Ferrari on ten, while Lotus and Red Bull Racing are joint third with seven. The team from Maranello has the most poles (13), with McLaren second (11) and Lotus third (9). Ferrari also tops the table for podium finishes with 57, more than double the number of second placed McLaren on 28, with Lotus again third on 16.

Almost half the winners (32, equivalent to 45.71%) started from pole. If one considers that a further 16 winners (22.68%) started from second on the grid, it is easy to understand why Saturday’s qualifying is so crucial to doing well on Sunday. However, in 1996, Olivier Panis delivered an exceptionally rare feat by winning from 14th on the grid!