LIGHTS OUT AND AWAY WE GO TO EUROPE
F1 finally returns to Europe in six weeks time, nine excruciatingly long months after the previous round in Azerbaijan. We will preview the prestigious Monte Carlo Grand Prix, and this year the historically dull Monaco weekend may actually be… interesting?
Formula 1 Louis Vuitton Grand Prix de Monaco
Date : 4th - 7th June
Location : Circuit de Monaco - Monte Carlo, Monaco
Support Series Events : F2, F3, Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup
Broacasters (UK) : Sky Sports / Channel 4 (Delayed Streaming)
HOMETOWN HERO :
Charles Leclerc
DOB : 16/10/1997
Team : Scuderia Ferrari
Car Number : 16
Only five drivers to hail from the luxurious city of Monte Carlo have ever competed in Formula one. Just two have won their home race - Louis Chiron in 1931, and Charles Leclerc in 2024. This makes Leclerc the only home driver to win a Monaco Grand Prix recognised by the F1 World Championship. The country has a total population of just over 38,000, while only 10,000 of that population are officially Monegasque citizens, and the Monaco race has previously been cursed for the home driver.
In seven races entered, Leclerc has only finished in four of them, and even failed to start the 2021 Grand Prix with transmission problems that arose on the way to the grid. He has three pole positions, and up until 2024 had never finished on the podium. But that year his luck changed. Leclerc grabbed pole with a then lap record, and secured his first home win, finishing runner up to World Champion Lando Norris in the 2025 edition of the race. With Ferrari’s fast starts and the hopes of his nation on his shoulders, he will be looking to reclaim victory this year on the streets where he grew up.
THE CHASING PACK :
Kimi Antonelli :
Currently leading the championship, the 19-year-old won two of the first three races, and will be looking to win the first European F1 race of his career. Mercedes are the team to beat, and team boss Toto Wolff will hope for his first Monaco victory since 2019.
George Russell :
Battling his teammate, the Brit has slightly dipped in form. But having never finished on the podium in the city he chooses to reside in, and after the catastrophic mess of last year's penalty, he will be hoping to bounce back.
Lewis Hamilton :
Leclerc’s teammate, and closest rival Lewis Hamilton is no stranger to Monaco victory. Without a podium here since 2019 and without a win at Ferrari, he will be desperate to ruin the Monegasque party and steal a fourth win.
Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri & Max Verstappen:
The papaya duo seem to be falling from the leading pack, after an exceptional 2025 campaign and with Lando Norris the current Monaco victor and new lap record holder, it will hurt to be so far behind the likes of Mercedes and Ferrari, but anything is possible this year in the streets of Monte Carlo. You can also never count out the raging bull that is Dutchman Max Verstappen, even with the slower car Red Bull appear to have given him, it would be foolish to rule out the possibility of a typical Verstappen rise from the ashes of the midfield pack. He is definitely also still in contention.
New Regs
To make things interesting…
The 2026 regs are set to make this year's event the most exciting in recent decades. The new car sizes decreased by 200 mm (with a shorter wheelbase) in length and have a 100 mm smaller width, meaning the rocketships with wheels are now 3400mm (3.4 metres) long and 1900mm (1.9m) wide.
Monaco is known as the narrowest street circuit; at its tightest, the streets are 7 meters wide (Tabac, Pool Complex and Rascasse corners). While the track sits mostly between 9-10 metres for the rest of the lap. In theory this allows two cars to be alongside each other, with a small gap, during even the narrowest part of the lap and may therefore aid overtaking.
Historically, this hasn’t been possible.
Zero on track over takes were recorded in 2003 or 2021. Just two were recorded in 2023, four in 2024.
Last year Formula One tried the new two pit-stop rule, but it didn’t go to plan. There was only one over take on track, and zero inside the top 10. The new rule forced artificial, slow-paced strategic placing, rather than improving on-track overtaking. Instead of increasing action, teams could manipulate the race by having second drivers hold up traffic, allowing them to create pit-stop gaps for their teammates. This resulted in a processed, frustrating race for drivers. George Russell received a drive through penalty for forcing past Alex Albon off track, but teammate Kimi Antonelli simply held up traffic that he could block from getting by due to the narrowness of the streets, so the penalty equated to nothing.
This year is set to be the best set of regulations to allow passing at Monaco, and set to finally make it exciting.
WINS FROM WHERE?
Monaco has been won from pole 32 times over the 70 races that have taken place there.
Only two of the last ten races have been won from outside the front row. And only 4 have been from outside pole.
8/10 races have been won from the front row.
And there have been many crashes over the years when drivers do attempt overtakes.
Just last year there was an 11 car pile up in the F2 category, going into the first corner of the entire race.
So is it the track that is the problem?
THE TRACK :
The Monaco track is notoriously the most difficult race of the calendar, drivers will have to find just one or two places within a lap to even take a second to blink, as one wrong move can end in disaster. Despite this, the narrowness of the track has created the overtaking problem and several layouts, demonstrated in this graphic, show what has been changed to help aid the dubbed ‘billion dollar problem’ that Formula One and Monaco have, to make sure the race is interesting enough to continue to entice viewers and fans to one of the most expensive GP’s on the calendar. Especially with the news last year that the race contract has been extended to 2035.
THE WEEKEND YOU MUST BE PERFECT :
With the new modes available to the drivers, qualifying and battery recovery will be more important than ever at this circuit. As will practice sessions, to give the drivers a chance to learn the new regulations at a track where there is quite simply no room for error.
What will happen? And what will the drivers need to focus on each day?
Friday -
Friday practice sessions are used to gather data. Lap and tyre data, race data and fuel data. Expect a wide variety of session strategies to play out as drivers learn where the different modes and battery preservation can be utilised, and do not expect to see lap times fast enough to break records. Though the free practice 2 session will be more similar to the conditions of qualifying, so qualifying simulations may possibly happen here.
Saturday -
Qualifying day. The most important qualifying session of the entire F1 calendar. There is simply put, no time and no space for a driver mistake. Expect teams to continue their focus on the race and tyre compounds, while not pushing too hard. A mistake or shunt in free practice 3 is far too costly, with qualifying around the corner, drivers will be settling themselves down.
Qualifying always determines the race, in the wise words of Will Buxton “It’s crucial you qualify first, because it means you’ve got the other 19 cars behind you”, but in Monaco it can also often decide the race. An excellent performance in qualifying can often lead to unexpected podiums, like that of Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon in 2023.
Sunday -
There is often less pressure on a Sunday in Monaco than a saturday, unless your name is Charles Leclerc. Thousands of fans, and hundreds of celebrities will line the streets to see if the Ferrari driver can bring it home again, including Prince Albert II of Monaco, who will present the trophy to the winner at the end of the race.
THE TROPHY :
A gold plated, custom designed sculpture crafted to the shape of the Monaco circuit, the trophy is typically referred to as the “Crown Jewel” of the calendar, a trophy all drivers would give anything to get their hands on. It symbolises intense skill and heritage, as the race was previously part of the iconic ‘Triple Crown of Motorsport’ along with the Indy 500 and 24 Hours of Le Mans.
CONSTRUCTORS CHAMPIONSHIP :
Here is a podium graphic based on the number of wins the top 3 most victorious constructors have at the Monaco Grand Prix.
SUPPORT THE SUPPORT SERIES :
It’s not just the F1 that’s worth tuning in for, in fact, during the Monaco weekend it’s sometimes better to watch the support series races. Smaller nimbler cars generally mean better overtaking, and with more teams on the grid in F2, F3 and the Porsche Supercup than in F1, chaos is anticipated for all races.
The F2 and F3 sprint races on Saturday are often incredible short bursts of speed, and include overtaking without the rule of pitstops.
Just last year, the F2 Feature Race started with absolute chaos, an 11-car pileup into the first corner (Saint Devote) was more interesting than the entire 2-hour Formula One race that took place later that day.