#1 ·
COPIED FROM A 2010 THREAD!!
The Monaco Grand Prix is basically the holy grail of racing, right up there with the Indianapolis 500 and Le Mans. These three make up the "Triple Crown" of motorsport—the ultimate achievement. Only Graham Hill actually managed to pull off the full Triple Crown...
The schedule for the Monaco Grand Prix usually clashes with the Indy 500, which makes things messy. Since they’re happening on opposite sides of the Atlantic and belong to different series, it’s almost impossible for a driver to sweep both in one career. Right now, Juan Pablo Montoya is the only guy who’s grabbed two out of the three. He took the Monaco Grand Prix in 2003 and the Indianapolis 500 back in 2000, so he’s sitting right on the edge of that Triple Crown glory...
The FIA (and pretty much everyone else) views the Monaco Grand Prix as this massive engine for growing the sport globally, mostly because of all that glitz and prestige. A huge chunk of the local revenue comes from tourists drawn in by the weather and those famous casinos, but let’s be real—it’s also a tax haven for millionaires, including a few F1 drivers...
Since the track is so tight and the city is tiny, if a driver finishes early, they can usually just walk back to their apartment in a few minutes. I mean, remember when Ayrton Senna famously just headed straight back to his place after losing the lead in '88? Pretty legendary...
The Monaco Grand Prix hits a bit differently than your standard race:
First practice happens on Thursday instead of Friday, just so they can keep the streets open to the public during the day on Friday...
Back in the late '90s, the race used to start at 3:30 PM local time, which was about an hour and a half later than other races in the region...
For years, they actually limited how many cars could enter the Grand Prix weekend. Back in 1975, only 18 cars were allowed to race, while every other track that year was running 23 to 26 cars...
Fun fact: the winners don't even stand on a traditional podium. Once the checkered flag drops, the top three guys just hop out of their cars and head to a fancy VIP box where a member of the royal family hands over the trophies...
Because it’s a street circuit, the Monaco Grand Prix is pure chaos. You get crashes, walls, you name it, which is why we see the Safety Car out on track so often. Between the narrow streets and the occasional rain shower, it’s the perfect setup for an underdog to steal a win. Usually, it's because the favorites either DNF, get stuck behind slower cars, or get caught in a mess in those tiny pit lanes. If you look at the last 20 years, you've got guys like Olivier Panis winning in a Ligier-Mugen-Honda in '96, or Jarno Trulli pulling it off in a Renault in '04...
Last year, the Brawn GP duo absolutely ran the show, pretty much like they did through most of their first season. Jenson Button took the win and went on to be the champion, with his teammate Rubens Barrichello grabbing second. Kimi Raikkonen rounded out the podium in third...
The Monaco Grand Prix is basically the holy grail of racing, right up there with the Indianapolis 500 and Le Mans. These three make up the "Triple Crown" of motorsport—the ultimate achievement. Only Graham Hill actually managed to pull off the full Triple Crown...
The schedule for the Monaco Grand Prix usually clashes with the Indy 500, which makes things messy. Since they’re happening on opposite sides of the Atlantic and belong to different series, it’s almost impossible for a driver to sweep both in one career. Right now, Juan Pablo Montoya is the only guy who’s grabbed two out of the three. He took the Monaco Grand Prix in 2003 and the Indianapolis 500 back in 2000, so he’s sitting right on the edge of that Triple Crown glory...
The FIA (and pretty much everyone else) views the Monaco Grand Prix as this massive engine for growing the sport globally, mostly because of all that glitz and prestige. A huge chunk of the local revenue comes from tourists drawn in by the weather and those famous casinos, but let’s be real—it’s also a tax haven for millionaires, including a few F1 drivers...
Since the track is so tight and the city is tiny, if a driver finishes early, they can usually just walk back to their apartment in a few minutes. I mean, remember when Ayrton Senna famously just headed straight back to his place after losing the lead in '88? Pretty legendary...
The Monaco Grand Prix hits a bit differently than your standard race:
First practice happens on Thursday instead of Friday, just so they can keep the streets open to the public during the day on Friday...
Back in the late '90s, the race used to start at 3:30 PM local time, which was about an hour and a half later than other races in the region...
For years, they actually limited how many cars could enter the Grand Prix weekend. Back in 1975, only 18 cars were allowed to race, while every other track that year was running 23 to 26 cars...
Fun fact: the winners don't even stand on a traditional podium. Once the checkered flag drops, the top three guys just hop out of their cars and head to a fancy VIP box where a member of the royal family hands over the trophies...
Because it’s a street circuit, the Monaco Grand Prix is pure chaos. You get crashes, walls, you name it, which is why we see the Safety Car out on track so often. Between the narrow streets and the occasional rain shower, it’s the perfect setup for an underdog to steal a win. Usually, it's because the favorites either DNF, get stuck behind slower cars, or get caught in a mess in those tiny pit lanes. If you look at the last 20 years, you've got guys like Olivier Panis winning in a Ligier-Mugen-Honda in '96, or Jarno Trulli pulling it off in a Renault in '04...
Last year, the Brawn GP duo absolutely ran the show, pretty much like they did through most of their first season. Jenson Button took the win and went on to be the champion, with his teammate Rubens Barrichello grabbing second. Kimi Raikkonen rounded out the podium in third...
