Formula 1 TAG Heuer Grand Prix de Monaco
Historic date change
From 2026, the Formula 1 TAG Heuer Grand Prix de Monaco will take place on the first weekend in June. Usually held in May, the race on the streets of the Principality has been moved to optimise the calendar and avoid overlapping with other major races, notably the Indianapolis 500.
McLaren returns
In May 2025, during qualifying, Lando Norris set an exceptional lap of 1:09.954, setting a new circuit record. He beat Charles Leclerc in his Ferrari.
On Sunday, under sunny skies, Norris maintained his lead despite constant pressure from Leclerc, taking his first victory in the Principality.
It was the 16th victory in Monaco for the British team. Lando Norris follows in the footsteps of some of the greatest names in motor sport's premier class, including David Coulthard (2000 & 2002), Kimi Räikkönen (2005) and Lewis Hamilton (2008), who have also conquered the Rock at the wheel of a McLaren.
Le Film | Formula 1 TAG Heuer Grand Prix de Monaco 2025
2024, the year of Leclerc
Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc, who knows every corner of the Monaco circuit inside out, won the 2024 Monaco Grand Prix. He finished on the second step of the podium in 2025.
With Ferrari since 2019, he is the third driver from the Principality to compete in Formula 1, after Louis Chiron and Olivier Beretta.
Hard to reach the top of the Rock
Driving in Monaco is like riding a bike in your living room.
This memorable comment by Nelson Piquet, world champion in 1981, 1983 and 1987, perfectly represents the difficulty of this Grand Prix.
During 78 laps of a 3.337 km track, between chicanes, a tunnel, 19 tight bends in the middle of guard rails, the drivers had no time to breathe!
The Fairmont bend, at the halfway point of the lap, imposes a reduced speed of 45 to 50 km/h on the drivers, the slowest in the entire championship.
There was no clearance between the track and the rails, which meant that cranes had to be present in several places to clear the wrecked cars as quickly as possible. The Automobile Club de Monaco's marshals are regarded as the best in the world for their efficiency and speed.
Formula 1 remains in the Principality
The Formula 1 TAG Heuer Grand Prix de Monaco has been extended until 2035, according to the agreement between the Automobile Club de Monaco and Formula One.
This extension follows the previous extension concluded in 2024, which ensured that the Monaco Grand Prix would be held until 2031, further consolidating the historic partnership between the Principality and Formula 1.
The renewal of the Monaco Grand Prix until 2035 is part of the continuity of a sporting and historic tradition to which the Principality remains deeply attached. I can only welcome this renewed commitment, which bears witness to a collective success, to the excellence of our collaboration with Formula 1 and to the unique place that Monaco occupies in the international motorsport landscape.
I would like to express my gratitude to H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco for his constant support, and to Stefano Domenicali for his renewed confidence. The Automobile Club de Monaco is delighted with this extension for a further four years, which takes our commitment to 2035. This agreement reaffirms our desire to continue to offer an exceptional race weekend, unique in the world, and to maintain the Monaco Grand Prix as a key event on the international calendar.
The origins of this legendary race
In order to gain recognition for the Automobile Club de Monaco from the Association Internationale des Automobile Clubs Reconnus, Antony Noghès, son of the ACM's president, redoubled his imagination to create an urban race in the Principality. This was in response to the AIACR's requirement to organise a competition on Monaco's small territory (around 1.5 km² at the time). With the help of engineer Jacques Taffe and Louis Chiron, former personal driver to Marshals Foch and Pétain... And it's done!
No other country in the world would have such a circuit!
On 14 April 1929, Prince Pierre inaugurated the circuit for the 1st Monaco Grand Prix, taking a lap of honour in a Voisin Torpedo driven by Charles Faroux, the race director.
This first Grand Prix was won by Englishman William Grover-Williams, known as "W Williams", in a green Bugatti 35 B in 3h56'11, having completed 100 laps at an average speed of 80.194 kph.
The Monaco Grand Prix took off and confirmed its success year after year.
The arrival of Formula 1 and big names
After the 9th Grand Prix in 1937, the 2nd World War interrupted the event for more than 10 years.
Following the difficulties associated with the conflict, it was on 16 May 1948 that the almost forgotten sound of single-seater engines once again echoed through the streets of the Principality.
The course of events was set in motion again, and the Formula 1 World Championship was created two years later, in 1950. On 21 May, an Argentinian driver made his debut in the Principality: Juan-Manuel Fangio, winner of the 11th Monaco Grand Prix.
In the 60s and 70s, Graham Hill, Jackie Stewart and Niki Lauda made their mark in the Principality, before liberating the track for a legendary France-Brazil race in the 80s and 90s: Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna! The latter remains the most successful driver on the Rock with 6 victories.
Michael Schumacher also won the Monaco Grand Prix. It seemed certain that the 'Red Baron' would dominate significantly in the Principality, but a series of errors and problems limited the German to 'just' 5 victories between 1994 and 2001.
1800 parking spaces
The Parking des Salines located at the western entrance to the Principality, opposite the Exotic Garden, can accommodate motorised spectators, offering easy access to the circuit as well as preferential rates.
The Circuit de Monaco can be reached either on foot in 15 minutes, via the Galerie des Salines and a carefully signposted pedestrian walkway, or by the shuttle bus service provided by the Compagnie des Autobus de Monaco, which is free on presentation of a parking ticket.