Myths and magic: the stories of the Monaco Grand Prix
- Maham Mir
- 7 hours ago
- 3 min read
Written by Maham Mir, Edited by Gabriel Tsui
The streets of Monaco are perhaps some of the most iconic and recognisable around the world. The opulence of the Principality, the prestige of the track and the excitement of qualifying on the narrow streets are just some parts of what makes the weekend a spectacle to behold.
Making up one part of the Triple Crown in motorsport, complemented with the Indianapolis 500 and 24 Hours of Les Mans, the Monaco Grand Prix is often referred to as the crowning jewel of the Formula One calendar.
History has followed F1 drivers in Monaco since the start of the championship in 1950. The first notable figure to have raced around the Principality was Mr Monaco, Graham Hill.
The two-time world champion remains till date the only driver in motorsport history to complete the Triple Crown by winning the Indianapolis 500 in 1966 and Le Mans in Year 1972; Hill had also completed the Triple Crown when being a F1 world champion was a requirement before it was swapped for a Monaco Grand Prix victory.
The Brit’s five victory record in Monaco was unbeaten for many years until Ayrton Senna.Following Mr Monaco can be no other than the King of Monaco, Ayrton Senna. Having won the Monaco Grand Prix a record number of six times, with 5 of those being consecutively won between 1989 to 1993, Senna undoubtedly made the streets of Monaco his own.
Putting the victories and accolades aside, it would be remiss to not talk about one of his true works of magic around the circuit - the pole position lap of Monaco 1988. Often regarded as the greatest qualifying laps to have ever been completed, Senna qualified on pole 1.427s ahead of teammate Alain Prost in second.
The modern era of F1 has also seen noteworthy drives around the streets of Monaco. In 2018, Daniel Riccardo finally emerged victorious after his previous opportunities of stepping on the top step in Monaco were denied.
Often dubbed his redemption drive for his almost victory in 2016 in which a mistimed pit stop call saw the Australian waiting for tyres in the pit lane, Riccardo finished the race ahead of Sebastian Vettel despite an early failure of his MGU-K.
Riccardo’s win came on the back of a picture-perfect weekend, having led every Free Practice and Qualifying session; he was denied a grand slam by his then-teammate, Max Verstappen, who set the fastest lap of the race.
Most recently, one of the most notable stories to emerge from the streets of Monaco was Charles Leclerc’s victory in 2024. From the junior formulas, Leclerc’s terrible luck on his home circuit is a known commodity; some instances of bad luck include a DNS in 2021 where he would have started on pole and an almost-win in 2022 after mistimed strategy calls by Ferrari.
Leclerc’s Monaco win saw him become the first Monegasque driver to emerge triumphant in the Principality in 93 years.
With the 2025 installment of the Monaco Grand Prix fast approaching, drivers and fans alike will be hoping for a weekend filled with entertainment. There can be no doubt that Monaco’s place in the heart of all the drivers is one that could never be rivalled. New tracks may come and go, but the magic of Monaco will always prevail in the world of F1.
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