2024-04-15 10:33:11
Since 1929, the track in the streets of Monte Carlo has been one of the prominent circuits. With the creation of Formula 1, the Monaco Grand Prix became a key part of it.
The first Monaco Grand Prix was held in 1929 | Video: Youtube.com
At the end of the 20s of the last century, the Monaco Auto Club, led by cigarette magician and successful racer Antony Noghès, prepared a circuit in the streets of Monte Carlo.
The first race was held here on April 14, 1929. Of the sixteen pilots, nine competitors saw the checkered flag after completing a demanding portion of 100 laps. The Grand Prix was dominated by the Bugatti brand, which had six T35 cars in the top 7.
British William Grover-Williams racing under the nickname “W Williams” won behind the wheel of a French car. Romanian Georges Bouriano finished second, Bugatti’s supremacy was only broken by Rudolf Caracciola from Germany with Mercedes-Benz in third place.
This gave birth to a tradition that has lasted until today.
Until the Second World War, Monaco was contested as part of the European Championship. In 1950, the company was included in the newly established F1 world championship, second only to the British Silverstone.
The track itself hasn’t changed much over the years. It leads through the streets of the Monte Carlo and La Condamine districts with yacht moorings. The circuit has an unusually hilly profile, measures 3.34 kilometers and has 18 turns, with a total of 78 laps.
It is the slowest race of the series, the narrow track almost does not allow overtaking. However, three-time world champion Nelson Piquet Sr. once said about her: “Racing in Monaco with Formula 1 is like riding a bicycle in the living room.”
However, the Brazilian added at the same time: “The victory here has a higher price than any other.”.
The formula runs past the Paris, Columbus or Grand hotels and several well-known casinos. They reach their highest speeds at the end of the tunnel under the Fairmont Hotel, which opens into a chicane. Into it, it is necessary to brake strongly and to deal with the transition from darkness to often sharp sunlight.
This is also one of the few places suitable for overtaking. In Monaco, qualification, a good start and a correctly chosen strategy in the pits are otherwise absolutely key. The slightest mistake usually means the end of hopes of a good result in narrow streets with minimal escape zones.
The race in the Principality of Monaco also has other peculiarities, for example the winning pilots do not wave to the fans from the podium above the pits, as is the case at most circuits, but from the royal box.
They go there after handing over the car to the closed parking lot, which is unusually right on the race track. One of the rarities of Monaco is that Friday is a free day and training sessions are already held on Thursday.
The most number of victories in Monaco was won by Brazilian Ayrton Senna, who triumphed six times. The track record with a time of 1:12.909 minutes has been held by British pilot Lewis Hamilton since 2021.
The Monaco Grand Prix ranks with the American Indianapolis 500 and the French 24 Hours of Le Mans among the three most famous automobile circuit races. The victories in these three ventures together form the so-called triple crown, which has so far been won only by Graham Hill.