Monaco Grand Prix
One of the most anticipated races in the Formula 1 circuit is the Monaco Grand Prix known as the slowest and most difficult of all circuits because it takes place on the tiny streets in Monte Carlo. The first Monaco Grand Prix took place on April 14, 1929 as Prince Pierre inaugurated the circuit of the 1st Grand Prix of Monaco with a lap of honour in a Torpedo Voisin car. On April 19th, 1932, Captain Sir Malcom Campbell, the man who just had broken the world speed record with 408.621 km per hour, opened the 2nd Grand Prix of Monaco in a superb Torpedo Rolls Royce. Only after 1955 did the Monaco Grand Prix become an annual event that is a must-see and must-attend spectacle – and the Ultimate Driving Challenge.
Race of a Thousand Corners – Flash back to 1957
(one year after Grace Kelly became Princess Grace)
Excerpt from “My Days with Princess Grace of Monaco” about the first invitation to experience the Monaco Grand Prix of 1957 with Prince Rainier and Princess Grace in their Royal Box, just a few weeks after meeting them (and one year after she became Princess Grace):
Nice – May 22, 1957
Dearest Mum and Dad,
We had a very special thrill this last Sunday. We were invited to attend the Grand Prix automobile races in Monaco, by the Prince and Princess. It was not an official invitation, as we were the only foreigners as their guests – so they must like us. We sat in the Prince’s Box for the first few rounds of the sports cars, but as the noise was deafening, we adjourned to a new apartment ten stories high, which was arranged for the Prince and his party. The balcony was draped with maroon velvet, and we could watch the whole race above the noise – even so, earplugs were advisable, and the Princess wore them. A television set was provided, along with champagne, sandwiches and cakes – served by the Palace staff in livery and white gloves. We talked at length to the Prince and Princess and told them about our happy event. [We were soon to be parents for the first time.] They were so pleased, and offered loads of advice. Today, Marty received a personally typewritten letter from the Prince, which was exceptionally warm and friendly…
All our love, Joan and Marty
Source: Dale
Monaco Grand Prix Today
The Monaco Grand Prix is the greatest race in all of motorsport. It has everything: yachts, champagne, supermodels, royalty, parties, not to mention one of the world’s most historic racetracks that’s built to generate exciting moments.
Formula One drivers are the best in the world, and, though the track is narrow and there is zero margin for error, they still give it their all. In 2012, legendary driver Michael Schumacher called Monaco unsafe, but said the risk is “justifiable once a year” because of the race’s history and because it’s “really so much fun to drive.”
Most of the track is barely wide enough for two Formula One cars to drive side by side, making passing extraordinarily difficult, and heightening the excitement in the few spots where it is feasible.
Modern racetracks come with large runoff areas and gravel traps to slow cars that get in trouble before they hit a barrier. The Monaco Grand Prix circuit doesn’t. It’s made up of temporarily converted city streets with barriers on the sidewalks. Luxury shops and yachts stand where runoff areas would normally be placed.
The track includes a tunnel, a rare feature in auto racing. It changes the aerodynamic properties of the car, reducing downforce (which helps keeps the cars from going airborne at such high speeds). If it’s raining, the tunnel remains dry, creating even more of a challenge, as drivers must deal with different levels of traction on top of starkly different lighting.
The tunnel is slightly curved, so drivers can’t see the exit as they enter, which happens to be just as they hit their highest speeds—upward of 170 mph. Then they explode back into the sunlight, right into the hardest braking zone on the track, at the Nouvelle Chicane.
The Principality of Monaco covers barely three quarters of a square mile on the coast of the Mediterranean, along the French Riviera. Over 80 years later, hundreds of thousands flock to the tiny country every year to watch F1 cars race the circuit, which has barely changed since.
Because the track runs through a city, the best seating isn’t on bleachers. Guests at the famous Hotel de Paris can watch the race from balconies. Sunbathers at the Stade Nautique Rainier III municipal swimming pool can look straight down onto the track, and dozens of luxury yachts line up where the track runs along the harbor.
Contributing Source: Wired
Official Website for the Grand Prix Monaco
There are so many parties in Monaco during this time, here is a sampling of the 2015 Gran Prix Parties and some alternatives to watching the Grand Prix from the stands
