One of the world's most popular sporting events is the Monaco Grand Prix. The event is organized by the Automobile Club of Monaco and takes place in the last weekend of May. The event is one of world's most spectacular, as it is the only race that takes place on the streets of a city.
The Monte Carlo race track is not an optimum one for this kind of race, as the streets are very narrow and winding, making it almost impossible to overtake, with perilous curves and turns, tight corners and elevation shifts. The course consists in a 78-lap circuit and has 263 km in total.
The first Monaco Grand Prix took place in 1929 averaging an 80km/hour speed and was won by William Grover-Williams (aka “Williams”) driving a green Bugatti. Now the medium speed reaches 142 km/hour.
It is since 1955 that the Monaco Grand Prix has taken place each year and has been raced as part of the Formula One championship.
The route had not suffered major changes upto 1950. Initially, the track distance was 3,180 km. After modifications and various fitting outs the total distance of the circuit is now of 3,367 Km. Since May 2001, new work sessions have begun to improve the infrastructure both for racers and for supporters. For this purpose more than 4,500 m2 will be reclaimed from the sea.
The Monaco Grand Prix winners since 1990
- Ayrton Senna (Brazil) driving a McLaren won the race every year from 1990 to 1993 (he won also in 1989).
- Michael Schumacher (Germany) driving a Benetton-Ford was the winner of the following two years Grand Prix — 1994-1995 and then he won again in 1997, 1999 and 2001.
- Olivier Panis (France) driving a Ligier-Honda won the race in 1996.
- Mika Hakkinen (Finland) driving a McLaren was the winner in 1998.
- David Coulthard (United Kingdom) driving a McLaren won in 2000 and 2002.
- Juan Pablo Montoya (Colombia) driving an Williams was the race winner of 2003.
- Jarno Trulli (Italy) driving a Renault won the Monaco Grand Prix in 2004.
The history and the spectacle of the event attract annually thousands of car race amateurs. The general admission spectator capacity is 120,000. The number of available seats is 3,000.
The tickets can be purchased contacting the Automobile Club of Monaco or directly from ticket booths set up during the race. Prices go from €46 to more than €323. Lawn spaces are available for the hillside grounds below the Palace for as little as €30.
For a better spotting of the seat, you should get a map of the circuit. The best sections are A1, A4, V, Z1, Z2 and 0.
In the International Herald Tribune and the Nice Monaco Matin newspapers you can find ads placed by many Monaco residents who rent out their terraces for the event. Prices go between €4,769 and €9,538 for four days.