Monaco Grand Prix 2026

Name: Monaco Grand Prix 2026
Start: 2026-06-05T00:00:00+01:00
End: 2026-06-07T00:00:00+01:00
Location: Circuit de Monaco

Circuit de Monaco

Monte Carlo, Monaco

Memorable Moments

2006

Our first Monaco race was more memorable for our Star Wars-themed livery and pit crew race suits than it was for the result (both David Coulthard and Tonio Liuzzi exited the race in crashes), but the following year a little bit of Krypton power got us our first podium. Rocking a Superman Returns livery, DC flew to P3 in the race. The Scot donned a Man of Steel-style cape for the podium ceremony and then lent it to then Team Principal Christian Horner who used it to protect his modesty after promising to strip naked and jump in the Energy Station pool if we were on the podium.

2010

Our first Monaco win was delivered in style by Mark Webber. Starting from pole, Aussie Grit was faultless throughout despite admitting to a bout of nerves in the closing stages. “It looks like the track's narrowing and the barriers are coming closer and closer,” he said. “Fifteen laps from the end, that's just what it was like.” After standing atop the podium, Mark headed straight to the Energy Station where he too dived into the pool.

2011

2018

In 2016 Daniel Ricciardo was denied a Monaco win when a pit stop went wrong and the crew didn’t have tyres ready for the Aussie. It was gut-wrenching, but two years later the Honey Badger was back, though it almost didn’t happen again. Midway through the race a mounting series of technical issues threatened to rob him of redemption, but Daniel defended like a lion, nursed his ailing car home and collected a hugely deserved win.

2023

While Max’s imperious 2023 win almost half a minute ahead of second-placed Fernando Alonso was impressive, we’re picking his pole lap from the previous day as that weekend’s real moment of magic. Max was fifth going into his final lap in Q3 after Alonso stormed to the top of the timesheet. The Dutchman was a sizeable 0.204s behind the Aston Martin driver after Sector 2 but over the following handful of corners he found almost three tenths of a second to take pole by 0.084s. Simply stunning.

What makes the Circuit de Monaco unique

Just about everything, F1 does have other street courses in F1, and all have their claim to fame – Singapore’s lights, Baku’s castle section, Vegas’ Strip – but Monaco is the OG. Grand Prix racing has been happening here since 1929 and F1 since 1950 and in that time it has become a gold-plated magnet for beautiful people, stars and cars.

The location is just spectacular, with the track snaking through picture-postcard streetscapes painted across a rocky outcrop jutting into the azure-blue Mediterranean. The atmosphere rises to meet the location. From Wednesday to Sunday night it’s just one, long, epic F1 party, with the whole city given over to the grand prix in all its entirety.

Of course, we make our own contribution to that vibe by super-sizing the Energy Station. Our special edition Monaco version is built on pontoons and sailed from San Remo all the way round to Monaco’s Port Hercule, where it becomes the epicentre of glamour, celeb-spotting and people-watching for the weekend.

Max Verstappen driving through the streets of Monaco in 2025
© Getty

Sergio Perez wins in Monte-Carlo in 2022
© Getty

Max Verstappen wins in Monaco in 2021
© Getty

Daniel Ricciardo makes a splash in Monaco in 2018
© Getty

Mark Webber celebrating his Monaco win in 2010

David Coulthard secures the Team's first podium in 2006

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's the RB2!

Circuit Characteristics

Monaco is undoubtedly one of F1’s most demanding tracks. Its 19 corners, from the opener, Sainte-Dévote, to classic complexes such as Mirabeau and Casino Square, as well as the thrilling changes of direction through the Swimming Pool section, require pinpoint accuracy and incredible finesse. Three-time champion Nelson Piquet famously referred to its tight and twisting nature by saying it was like “trying to ride a bicycle around your living room”. Overtaking is extremely difficult, making qualifying crucial.

This year, several sections have been resurfaced, including Turn 19 to Turn 1, Turn 7 to the tunnel entry, the pit entry and pit exit and the Turn 5 run-off. That fresh asphalt could alter grip levels, adding unpredictability to an already unforgiving challenge.

Key overtaking zones

In short, there really aren’t any – at least not easy ones. Having said that we’ll pick three points where, with some big you-know-whats, a slice of luck and a following wind you might make a move stick.

First up is Turn 1, Sainte-Dévote. The run from the start-finish line ends in this low gear right-hander taken at about 110km/h. A dive down the inside might catch a rival unaware but it is risky.

Next up is Mirabeau. It’s another dive down the inside as Daniel Ricciardo proved with a wheel-thumping move in 2015 and Max got past Marcus Ericsson in the same spot in 2018.

You could also try into Turn 8, Portier, but that usually ends in tears, so the next big move comes after the tunnel, down the hill into the Nouvelle Chicane. It worked numerous times for Max during his run from P20 to P9 in 2018.

Can any of those be done in 2026? We’ll take a punt on ‘yes’. The cars are slightly narrower, smaller and lighter than the big beasts we got used to from 2002-2025, so fortune could favour the brave.

Strategy watch

The first bit of strategy is to qualify well. Overtaking is really tricky in Monaco and there’s a good chance your starting position will be the same as the one you finish in, so grabbing a good grid spot on Saturday is massively important. In terms of race strategy there’s one bit of good news – the FIA has done away with the two-stop race it mandated last year. The idea was to require drivers to use at least three sets of tyres in the race, promoting a variety of strategies and introducing a bit more tactical jeopardy. It didn’t work as many teams simply ran two cars close together and used the rear to create a gap for the front-runner to pit into. We’re thus back to a good old one-stop in Monaco. In 2024 there was a red flag on lap one, so most drivers made an early switch to Hard tyres and trundled all the way to the flag. The 2023 race was wet for the final third, so everyone ended the race either on Inters or Full Wets and it was a similar story in 2022, with Checo winning with a Full Wet start before shifting to Inters, Hards and finally Medium tyres. You therefore have to go back to Max’s 2021 win to get the last dry race run to regular rules and on that occasion Max won with a traditional one-stop plan, starting on used Softs and then switching to new Hards on lap 34. If it’s dry this weekend expect something similar, though the starting tyre could be the C4 Medium.

What should fans look out for?

Perhaps for the first time this year we should be in for flat-out qualifying in Monaco as it’s the shortest track of the year and has plenty of opportunity for harvesting. Because of the nature of the track maximum deployment will be curtailed (it would just be too dangerous otherwise) but even with a reduced amount of electrical power on tap it’s plenty for the Principality and we shouldn’t see any super-clipping.

The tight and twisting layout has also prompted the FIA to axe Straight Mode for this weekend. Instead, front and rear wings will be fixed in corner mode for the duration of the twisty little lap. Overtake Mode will still be in play, however, with zone detection just before Turn 17 and activation just before Turn 19, Anthony Noghes.

The Team's historic results

Monaco GP

Driver

Starting Position

Race Result

2021

Max Verstappen

Sergio Pérez

2022

Max Verstappen

Sergio Pérez

2023

Max Verstappen

Sergio Pérez

2024

Max Verstappen

Sergio Pérez

DNF

2025

Max Verstappen

Yuki Tsunoda