A near century-long legacy it might have; the very definition of glamour in Formula 1 it may be, but there’s no denying Monaco’s oddity.
This remarkable circuit, the longest-serving of the street circuits, is the definition of their breed’s absurdity.
Embedded as it is in the very constitution of the Monegasque cityscape, draped like spaghetti across its topography, when not hosting the very fastest cars in the world for a street race, it is simply a part of the principality’s road network.
There’s no denying though that it’s made up of a handful of truly iconic corners, each with their own landmarks and vistas, that each ask something different of the drivers to the corner that came before.
You have the tight hairpins and La Rascasse. By contrast, you have the Casino Square sweeper and the switchbacks of the Swimming Pool and Bus Stop.
Then, by contrast, again, you have the breathtaking speed of the start/finish straight, the run up the hill, the run down to Mirabeau and the run through the tunnel. Between these and so many more, Monaco is a circuit that demands both speed and precision and all at once, nerve.
Which is your favourite corner of the Formula 1’s calendar’s most famous stop? Cast your votes…
Photography by Peter Summers
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Monaco Historic 2024
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