The world’s finest drivers are heading to the iconic street circuit of Monaco for the eighth round of the 2025 FIA Formula One World Championship, the Monaco Grand Prix, to be celebrated on Sunday.
The narrow street circuit designed by Anthony Noghes in 1929 is host to a unique racing weekend in the Principality of Monaco that embodies the essence of Formula One in its purest form to perfection, since featured in the sport’s very first season in 1950 and held uninterruptedly since 1955.
Spanning over 78 laps, the 3.337-kilometer (2.074-mile) twisting track layout, the shortest on the calendar, encompasses 19 turns, including the famous Sainte Devote (just 150 mts from the start line), Beau Rivage, the tricky Massenet, Rascasse or the Fairmont hairpin, the slowest corner of the calendar with drivers making the left-hand turn at just 45 km/h (30mph).
The tunnel (Turn 9), taken flat out, poses a one-of-a-kind challenge for the drivers who, in the blink of an eye, have to switch from light to dark and back to daylight on the way down to a heavy breaking zone, the legendary Nouvelle Chicane (Turns 10/11).
Pace and precision are pivotal in a circuit where overtaking becomes a form of art, rare and exquisite. That is why Qualifying becomes key in Monte-Carlo.
This season, the FIA and F1 agreed to introduce a change to the sporting regulations, specifically for the race venue, requiring all drivers to make at least two pit stops to change tires to generate more excitement.
Tires
According to Formula 1 official tire supplier Pirelli, “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 tires.”
In recent years, the Grand Prix has received criticism due to the lack of position changes during the race.
Last season, the top ten drivers in Qualifying crossed the finish line in grid order.
Pirelli will bring to the Principality its three softest compounds from the 2025 range. The C4 will be the Hard, the C5 the Medium, and the C6 the Soft; the first two are the mandatory compounds for the race.
Brilliant legacies are built by those at the wheel driven by excellence, defying the barriers by millimeters, such is the punishing nature of a tight layout that allows no mistakes.
Where the bravest and skillful outshine their machinery, milliseconds can make all the difference between glory and deception.
History
Three-time Formula One world champion Ayrton Senna holds the record for the most victories in Monaco (6), including five consecutive wins between 1989 and 1993, all captured while driving for McLaren.
McLaren Rich Heritage
The British team holds the record for the most wins (15) in Monaco, a rich heritage that the reigning Constructors’ champions will aim to extend this weekend.
The Woking-based outfit goes into Round 8 as the leader of both championships with 279 points to its tally after seven races.
Full-time drivers Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris are at the helm of the Drivers’ standings, and both will aim to claim a maiden crown in the glamorous streets.
McLaren last tasted victory on the sovereign city-state in 2008 at the hands of Lewis Hamilton, who claimed his first and only Formula One world championship with the squad at the end of that season.
The Briton joined Mercedes in 2013, a successful partnership that would see him achieve six world drivers’ championships with the team based in Brackley.
This weekend, the 40-year-old will take the narrow streets in his first season as a Ferrari driver off the back of a driving masterclass in Imola, which he outlined as “a highlight of the year so far.”
The British racer fought back from P12 to P4 at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix in front of Ferrari’s home fans.
In the build-up to the second part of a triple header, Hamilton spoke to the media on Thursday in the Scuderia Ferrari HP hospitality unit, asserting: “We are more determined than ever to build on the positives we saw in Imola.”
Adding: “To arrive here in a Ferrari is mad. To drive a Ferrari around the track, I’ve always wondered. I don’t know if I’ll sleep tonight as I’m buzzed, really excited.”
Meanwhile, Scuderia Ferrari Team Principal Fred Vasseur commented: “The Monaco Grand Prix is a unique race. We know how crucial Qualifying is at this track.
“This weekend, there is a change to the sporting regulations, specifically for this race, which will present all teams with a new challenge. Every driver must make at least two pit stops, the aim being to place greater emphasis on strategy and deliver more excitement on track,” he added.
Hamilton teammate Charles Leclerc took the checkered flag to win the 2024 edition of the prestigious Grand Prix on home soil.
“Of course, it is also Charles’ home race, and that makes the event special for the whole team. We are fully determined to put both him and Lewis in the best possible position to maximize their performance,” Vasseur remarked.
Formula 1 TAG Heuer Grand Prix de Monaco 2025 marks its first edition to feature a Title Partner.
