The 2026 Formula 1 season kicks off its European leg this weekend as the Monaco Grand Prix marks Round 6 of the championship.
Free Practice 1 and 2 will take place on Friday, June 5, followed by Free Practice 3 and Qualifying on Saturday, June 6 and the main event itself, the 78-lap Monaco Grand Prix, on Sunday, June 7.
Vital statistics
First Grand Prix – 1950
Track Length – 3.337km
Lap record – 1m 12.909s, Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, 2021
Most pole positions – Ayrton Senna (5)
Most wins – Ayrton Senna (6)
Trivia – Monaco was one of seven venues on the inaugural F1 World Championship calendar back in 1950
Pole run to Turn 1 braking point – 142 metres
Overtakes completed in 2025 – 4
Safety Car probability – 29%*
Virtual Safety Car probability – 43%*
Pit stop time loss – 19.92 seconds (including 2.5s stop)
*From the previous seven races in Monaco
The driver’s verdict
Jolyon Palmer, former Renault F1 driver: Monaco is a beautiful circuit and a true driver’s track. It feels like madness in an F1 car; even in comparison to other street circuits it’s so narrow, the roads are cambered, it’s tight and twisty and there are challenges everywhere…
I love coming out of Sainte Devote, Turn 1, which is a challenge in its own right. It’s so steep at the exit, you’re looking at the sky going to Massenet and Casino. You’ve got to hug the inside line at Massenet, otherwise you skittle into the barriers on the outside.
The hairpin is a little bit more straightforward, but you feel like you’re in there for an eternity, bouncing your way through as it’s all really bumpy.
You flash out of the tunnel and pick a braking point for the chicane, where you’ve got to get as close as you can to the armco on the left-hand side. Occasionally you see people getting too greedy and just nibbling it, causing a puncture and a bit of damage.
You also see so many people going straight through the chicane, especially early on in practice, just trying to find the right braking point. It’s one of the few places where you have a little bit of room for error, so people will take it the fastest.
Tyre and strategy insight
“For Monaco, the softest tyre range is always selected, this year C3, C4 and C5, to ensure maximum grip on a very smooth asphalt surface,” reads Pirelli’s weekend preview.
“For this edition, the road surface has been resurfaced between Turns 19 and 1, between Turn 7 and the entrance to the tunnel, as well as on the entry to and exit from the pit lane. Graining may occur, but it should not significantly affect tyre behaviour, as in the Principality the tyres are subjected mainly to traction-related loads.
“The low level of tyre degradation on the Monaco track traditionally results in a one-stop race. An exception was last year, when the FIA introduced an experimental regulatory change obliging drivers to use at least three different sets of tyres, thereby enforcing at least two pit stops. The rule was subsequently abandoned and the classic format returns.
“Strategies are influenced above all by neutralisations and red flags, which are quite frequent given the high probability of contact with the barriers and the difficulty of removing cars without interrupting the race.
“In 2024, for example, a red flag on the opening lap allowed all drivers to immediately comply with the requirement to use both compounds, making it possible to complete the remainder of the Grand Prix with a split strategy between medium and hard.”
Current form
An eventful race last time out in Canada saw Kimi Antonelli extend his Drivers’ Championship lead to 43 points over Mercedes team mate George Russell, the Italian having won the Grand Prix while Russell retired from the lead due to a power unit issue.
It was a dramatic weekend all in all for the Silver Arrows drivers, with the pair making contact whilst battling at the front during Saturday’s Sprint before a long scrap played out between them on Sunday, one that was only brought to an end by Russell’s sudden DNF.
As such, Antonelli will be hoping to build his momentum further this weekend in Monaco. The 19-year-old experienced a tricky spell across the European leg of his rookie campaign last year – can he enjoy a better run this time around to strengthen his hold on the top spot? Russell, meanwhile, is likely to be looking for a solid result to bolster his tally.
But Mercedes could have some competition on their hands, with Antonelli naming Ferrari as the “team to beat” in Monte Carlo. Indeed, Lewis Hamilton has predicted that the Scuderia’s car “could be really strong there”, the seven-time World Champion having scored his best finish for the team so far in Montreal with a P2.
Elsewhere, McLaren – who are now 41 points behind Ferrari in P3 of the Teams’ Championship – faced a tough Sunday in Canada after a call to start the race on the intermediate tyres backfired, meaning that the papaya squad will be looking to bounce back at a race where Lando Norris took victory one year ago.
Behind them, Red Bull arrive into Monte Carlo off the back of a podium finish for Max Verstappen at the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve – though the team remain a somewhat distant fourth in the standings – while Alpine continue to head the midfield battle. But could the streets of Monaco throw up some surprises in the pecking order? We’ll soon find out…
Iconic moment
Unsurprisingly, with Monaco appearing on the very first F1 calendar back in 1950, there are plenty of iconic moments to choose from over the years…
However, at a track that Ayrton Senna delivered some of his finest Grand Prix performances, we have gone back to 1992 and the Brazilian’s defence against Nigel Mansell in the closing laps.
Mansell had been leading the race when a suspected puncture brought him into the pits for fresh tyres, releasing Senna into a lead he would not relinquish via some on-the-limit car placement.
Check out the best moments from their scrap in the video player below, along with some other standout Monaco memories.
