The Monaco GP is one of the most important events from a historical point of view. But being a street circuit, the Monaco track doesn’t exist during the year. So, how does it work exactly?
Let’s discover together, in this article, how one of the most beautiful street circuits in the F1 calendar comes to life.
As it is explained in the article “How can you turn Monaco into an F1 circuit”, to simply put up barriers and close the streets used everyday by the Monegasque citizens isn’t enough. Instead there is a much bigger and more complicated engineering work that takes up almost two months of construction.
The Monaco GP, an event that has been lasting for 96 years
The first ever Monaco Grand Prix was held in 1929 after an offer was made–and supported by the prince, by a member of the Automobile Club of Monaco: Antony Noghès. In 1950, Formula One entered the scene as well, on a track that has stayed almost the same as when it was first designed for the occasion.
With its 3.340km of length, the Monte Carlo circuit is one of the hardest tracks of the F1 Championship because you simply cannot afford to make mistakes.
So what is actually built before the Monaco GP? The race doesn’t only require a track, drivers and cars, it also needs space for the FIA Stewards, TV production, an audience, medics and most of all, it needs to be a safe place for both the public and the drivers.
The track, the garages and the pit lane
Part of the garages, built within the city itself, are permanent areas in the Principality of Monaco. When there aren’t any races planned, these places are a useful addition to the harbour, given how close they are to Port Hercule. Furthermore, when Monaco hosts events or galleries in the city, these areas are made available for the public.
In 1973, the area including the Rascasse and the swimming pools was inaugurated following the construction of temporary garages. In 2004, work was done by burying part of the harbour to create a 250m2 building (in the area between the swimming pools and La Rascasse) with the aim of being made available to the teams as a garage. 2018 marked a transformation, as the building was rebuilt on two floors to improve space and visibility.
The interesting thing about these areas is that, unlike any other circuit in the Formula 1 calendar, they do not overlook the track, but face the opposite side, dividing the pit lane from the track. This choice was made simply to optimize the spaces of the city.
But there aren’t only permanent garages. In fact, a part of the structures is actually assembled in the weeks prior to the race. To do so, there are several phases, from the assembly of the metal structures on the ground floor (spaces dedicated to cars), to the assembly of the upper modules up to 3 meters wide (for a total of 165 modules). The assembly of these places is done mainly at night, as Roan Le Gallou explains, because passing through the streets of Monaco is not very easy; therefore, this decision was made to avoid affecting traffic.
When these modules are not constructed on the streets of Monaco, there is a whole team that takes care of their ordinary maintenance.
The roads used for the competitions obviously follow the normal topography of the city when open to traffic, but the road surface is redone.
Safety on track
During these weeks of work, the safety of drivers and the public is not put aside. On the contrary, there are teams of workers who dedicate themselves especially to this. Starting from the safety walls and guardrails to the modification of the road surface, nothing is left to chance. Another fundamental part for the safety of the Monaco circuit is the body of marshals.
Even if the Monte Carlo track is an urban road, it has its body of marshals trained throughout the year for the motorsport events, held in the month of May. As Cristophe Fabry, head of training, explains, days are organized throughout the year to train new recruits and maintain and update the skills of marshals already trained. Days in which workshops, theory and simulations are held to help understand how to act in the event of an accident and all the risks inherent to a motor racing circuit.
Spaces dedicated to the public
More than 200,000 people are expected for this event, but where can they fit? The construction of the grandstands takes time, but they are what actually allow the public to enjoy the event.
When they are not assembled in the streets of Monaco, the grandstands are stored in Carros, then transported by truck to the track where they will then be assembled. There are around 70 people in charge of the assembly, for a duration of around 6 weeks.
The first grandstands to be assembled are N, O, P, which are those near the harbour. The grandstands have a total of 22,000 seats, the largest being grandstand K which can accommodate 9,000 people.
Positioned in strategic points, the Monaco grandstands are: Casino -Grandstand B-, Portier -Grandstand C-; Quai Kennedy -Grandstand Z1-. Bureau de Tabac -Grandstand K-; Piscine -Grandstands L, M, N, O, P-. La Rascasse -Grandstand T-; Anthony Noghès-Grandstand V-; Quai Albert 1er -Grandstands X1, X2-; Rocher -Rocher Sector-.
In addition to the grandstands, VIP terraces and hospitality areas are set up in the buildings overlooking the track, such as the Terrace of Salle Empire (at the Hotel de Paris Monte-Carlo) which offers a view of the Casino square and part of the circuit and the Heracles Rooftop C which offers a breathtaking view of the start, the pit exit and the Port de Monaco.
The fan zone is an area set up for the event that allows the possibility of seeing some drivers up close.
And if there is no more space? No problem! In Monaco, in 2024, real floating grandstands were introduced: the Monaco Ports Lounge, with a direct view of the slowdown immediately after the tunnel exit and the chicane. It’s a grandstand reserved exclusively for guests of the yachts moored during the race weekend.
Podium, Stewards and Media dedicated spaces
In addition to the above, the structures that will house the TV commentators, the Stewards and the podium are also being set up.
The Formula 1 podium is located in front of the Prince’s Palace (harbour area), this is not located above the pits like in other circuits but is one of the few at street level. The ceremony, by tradition, includes the award ceremony given by the royal family. Formula E championship podium is slightly different since it’s located near the finish line on a platform built for the occasion. The award ceremony here does not follow tradition but is more “modern”.
A dedicated temporary structure, built in the Port Hercule area above the pits, serves as the base for race direction and the stewards.
The TV Compound and the media center are located in the lateral areas of the harbour, near the tunnel depending on the event.
Not just F1 on the Monaco track
But is all this work done only for the Monaco Grand Prix, and therefore for Formula 1? No, the F1 world championship is not the only one to race on this track. On the same weekend (23-25 May) there are also ‘side races’ on track: Formula 2 and 3 and the Porsche Carrera Cup. Furthermore, on the 3rd and 4th of May, there were also the Formula E cars racing through the streets of Monaco. Every 2 years the Historique Grand Prix is also held, a race that sees historic Formula 1 cars (between the 1920s and 1980s), Bugatti and Prototypes; the next edition is scheduled for 2026.
