The Champions League, a motorsport icon: that’s not all the Monaco Grand Prix represents for Formula 1

Exclusivity, opulence, absolute ceiling. That’s how many motorsport fans would describe the Monaco Grand Prix. It’s a race that literally oozes exclusivity. This event is an absolute feast in the world of Formula 1 and is rightly compared to the final match of the Champions League. Why? The answer to that question is not only in this article.

As the title of the article suggests, the Monaco Grand Prix is indeed compared to the final match of the Champions League. Not just on the day of the race, but throughout the entire race weekend, we find famous celebrities in Monaco who are simply not to be missed at this noble event.

In recent years, for example, celebrities such as Rowan Atkinson and American acting icon Will Smith have visited the McLaren paddock. Football coach José Mourinho also enjoyed his time in the Red Bull Racing stable. He was a guest of Red Bull in 2017 along with tennis star Serena Williams and skiing great Lindsey Vonn.

On Sunday in particular, the Monte Carlo circuit is literally bustling with celebrities. Australian actor Chris Hemsworth, who played the role of James Hunt in the film Rivals, was also there. But this is not the only reason why this event is so reminiscent of the festive evenings of Champions League football.

Monaco is the track that is supposed to test the pilots in all aspects of driving. It is a very narrow circuit where even the slightest mistake can mean a fatal accident. “It’s like riding a bicycle in your living room.”

In 2003, we even saw one not-so-favorable record. With how difficult overtaking is on this track, we didn’t record a single overtake for the whole race!

But it wasn’t always the case. The first races in the Principality of Monaco date back to 1929 and the first man to dominate the Grand Prix was Grove-Williams in a Buggatti 35, which was clearly the best car in the motorsport landscape at the time.

Interestingly, the grid was not based on qualifying results as we know it today. The drivers were lined up for the start of the race using a simple and gambling voting system.

The Monaco events were so successful that they were held annually thereafter. They even preceded the official creation of the Formula One championship in 1950. The first official Monaco Grand Prix of the F1 Championship was dominated by Juan Manuel Fangio in his Alfa Romeo. Second place went to Alberto Ascari in his Ferrari.

It was Ascari who experienced one major embarrassment in Monte Carlo, when he overdid his efforts in a corner near the Riviera and ended up with his car in the water! Fortunately, he was rescued.

This race circuit indeed remembers many, unfortunately including one fatal accident in 1967. This happened in the Nouvelle chicane area, where Lorenzo Bandini crashed into the straw barrier. Unfortunately, the fuel in his car ignited and his monoposto caught fire.

At that time, they also began experimenting with filming various shots from helicopters. However, the resulting fire was very difficult to extinguish in time, as the weather conditions caused the straw near the car to catch fire.

This very negative experience caused a big change in the rules and the straw barriers were removed from all race tracks. From this time on, especially in the 1980s, the safety of the racers became the number one priority. After three days, the Italian racer succumbed to his injuries and massive burns.

However, the circuit has been modified several times over these many years. The chicanery behind the tunnel where Bandini crashed in 1967 was very severe. Now this corner is slower and, despite the last millennium, safer. The Nouvelle chicane was modified in 1971.

The circuit received another makeover two years later due to the built-in swimming pools near the race track itself. The Piscine curves were added, as well as La Rascasse, which is still a very famous part of the circuit today. The most famous corner to this day, however, is the slowest section of the circuit on the entire F1 calendar – the Grand Hotel Casino.

There are also several escape zones on the track. One is located just inside the first corner, another can be found just after the exit of the tunnel at the Nouvelle chicane and the third at the last corner before the finishing straight.

To this day, the track is incredibly narrow and although racing here has lost some of its intensity compared to the last millennium, we have witnessed some horrific accidents over the years.

In 2010, Spaniard Fernando Alonso wrecked his Ferrari in the third practice session. In 2012, Kamui Kobayashi, then still driving a Sauber, was again savaged at the first corner. In 2016, Jolyon Palmer crashed his Renault. And we could go on like this forever.

For many years, Graham Hill has been called the Lord of Monaco, the only driver in history to win the Triple Crown. Not only did the British driver win at Monte Carlo, he also dominated the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Indianapolis 500. Only two drivers are close to Hill – Fernando Alonso and Juan Pablo Montoya.

The experienced Spaniard, currently in the service of Alpine F1, has even dominated the 24 Hours of Le Mans twice, but he misses winning the American race. Montoya, on the other hand, dominated the Indianapolis 500.

The most successful driver in the Mecca of motorsport is none other than Ayrton Senna. It was the legendary Brazilian who stole the title of “Mr. Monaco” from Hill. He has won six times at Monte Carlo and is also the only driver to have triumphantly crossed the finish line first in five consecutive years.

In addition to Hill, seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher has also won five times, while Alain Prost has won four times. Three triumphs in Monaco were celebrated by Stirling Moss, Jackie Stewart, Nico Rosberg and Sir Lewis Hamilton. The aforementioned Lauda, Fangio and Alonso, as well as Sebastian Vettel, Mark Webber and David Coulthard have two wins each.

The most successful team in Monaco is undoubtedly McLaren. This team, which has Mercedes engines in its guts, has won the Monaco Grand Prix fifteen times. However, their last victory was thirteen long years ago, when Hamilton won here.

There have also been several other historic moments at this circuit. For example, in the memorable 1976 season, Niki Lauda was the first to cross the finish line here. He managed to break the curse of Ferrari, which won here after an interminable twenty years!

The last time Lewis Hamilton won here was in 2019, when the Monaco Grand Prix was cancelled last year due to a coronavirus pandemic. For the first time in 65 years, there was no racing on the circuit in the Principality of Monaco.

Currently, this race track consists of nineteen corners. The record holder for the fastest lap here is held by Max Verstappen in his Red Bull, who set an impressive time of 1.14::260 in 2018.

The track itself is 3.34 kilometres long. The race is traditionally scheduled for 78 laps, during which the drivers will cover 260.5 kilometres.

Sources