The Monaco Grand Prix is one of the most iconic races on the Formula 1 calendar.
During the inaugural F1 season in 1950, the race in Monte Carlo was the second Grand Prix ever run after the first event at Silverstone.
It was won by Juan Manuel Fangio for Alfa Romeo and aside from several years during the 1950s and the Covid-affected campaign in 2020, the Monaco Grand Prix has been a constant on the F1 calendar.
Charles Leclerc finally won his home race in 2024, leading a processional event that was ruined by a Sergio Perez crash with both Haas drivers.
It meant every driver could change their tyres under red flag conditions, meaning the only jeopardy during the race – the pit stops – was taken out of the equation.
For the first time in Formula 1 history, all 10 drivers who started in the top 10 finished in the same position.
However, it’s still a popular enough event with fans and senior personnel within Formula 1 that it will remain on the calendar for a little while longer.
Although Monaco was at risk of falling off the calendar earlier in the year, its contract was extended until 2031.
David Croft was called for changes to the Monaco circuit but space is likely to be the limiting factor in improving facilities or making the track wider to encourage overtaking.
Karun Chandhok ‘hated’ the people surrounding the Monaco Grand Prix
Former F1 driver and Sky Sports pundit Karun Chandhok was speaking to FanCode about the race in the Principality.
Chandhok was asked about his favourite tracks to race on and said: “I loved Monaco, the challenge of Monaco.
“I hated all the nonsense around with all the idiots who show up drunk on the boats and stuff like that.
READ MORE: Which F1 drivers do well at Monaco GP with Senna and Schumacher successful in Monte Carlo
“All of that was a complete pain, but when all of that goes away and the track clears off, it was an amazing challenge.
“I was very lucky to finish on the podium there in GP2, I was leading the race in 2009 and then the drive shaft broke, but yeah, driving around Monaco was special.
“I would say Suzuka and Silverstone were my other two favourites, I liked high-speed tracks.”
The Monaco Grand Prix continues to be one of Formula 1’s toughest races
Since Liberty Media took over the ownership of the Formula One Group and promoted F1’s commercial interests, the calendar has quickly changed.
New races in Miami, Qatar and Las Vegas have changed the way the calendar looks and put more strain on teams and drivers with triple headers across multiple time zones now a regular occurrence.
There’s also been a shift away from a European-centric calendar, as demonstrated by the Dutch Grand Prix falling off the calendar in 2026 and the Circuit de Catalunya under similar pressure.
READ MORE: What F1 teams do well at Monaco GP with McLaren and Ferrari successful in Monte Carlo
Monaco is more iconic than both of those events, but the spectacle on the track is far less interesting.
Although Monaco is a difficult event for any F1 driver, other street circuits – such as Singapore and Las Vegas – have highlighted that these races can be much more exciting than what Monaco offers up.
With F1’s contract running until at least 2031, that doesn’t appear to be a concern for Liberty Media, but they’ll be desperate to avoid a repeat of 2024’s races which ended as a contest once Perez’s first lap crash occurred.
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