Is Monaco the Slowest F1 Track on the Calendar?

The Monaco GP is to Formula 1 what the Le Mans 24 Hours is to Endurance racing. Being one of the three events that need to be won for a Triple Crown, Monaco has a special place in the racing world. It is on the bucket list of every F1 driver to at least win a race at Circuit de Monaco. However, despite the importance and prestigious nature of the race, the Grand Prix variation of Circuit de Monaco is slow, tedious, and hard to overtake. But why? What characteristics of the circuit make it so? 

The Monaco GP has been happening since F1 started in 1950 making it one of the oldest F1 circuits. While the cars have changed massively from what they were like in the late 20th century, the track layout still almost remains the same. The F1 cars in the past were narrower and had less power, making it easy to maneuver them around the tight circuit. However, the F1 cars of the modern era are considerably wider than the older ones, making the Monaco GP a challenge for the drivers and the teams.

Circuit de Monaco is a 2.074 miles long street circuit with 19 turns, most of which are categorized as slow turns. F1 cars along with the drivers are capable of withstanding upward of 5G while going into a turn at 190+ mph. However, Monaco does not test that, as it is all about the slow-speed corners and the traction out of it. 

Monaco is the slowest circuit on the F1 calendar. The Average speed of the cars around a lap is 93mph. The next slowest track is the Marina Bay Street Circuit, with an average speed of 111 mph. So the Monaco circuit is the slowest by quite a big margin. And not only is it the slowest, but also the shortest F1 circuit. 

While the cars have gotten faster, the wider nature of it means it’s extremely difficult for a driver to overtake anywhere on the Monaco Circuit. Even if a driver tried and did not make any mistake, he will probably end up in the barriers purely because of how close the barriers are to the track. The most common overtaking spots are usually the two corners after the straights that too is only because they are heavy braking zones. During the last Monaco GP, only 1 overtake was made during the whole race which tells the story itself. 

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Since the overtaking opportunities are next to none, the race winner is usually decided by whoever takes the pole poised on Saturday. The rest of the grid pretty much finishes where they start. However, the pitstop strategy can alter that a little. Many modern F1 drivers, including Fernando Alonso, are critical of the Monaco GP, suggesting how boring and frustrating the race gets with no real possible spots to overtake. Even if a driver is in a faster car, there is just no way to overtake if the driver ahead is placing the car well. 

Because of these characteristics of the track, Daniel Ricciardo was able to win the 2018 Monaco GP despite only having 6 gears at his disposal as the car lost 2 of them around the beginning of the race. But what exactly are these characteristics? 

The Narrows & Slow Corners of Monaco

Not only the slowest circuit on F1 Calendar, but Monaco is also home to the slowest corner on the calendar. The Fairmont hairpin, also known as the Loews Hairpin, is taken at a speed of around 31 mph. German driver Adrian Sutil is famously known for overtaking at this corner as he made multiple overtakes at this corner in his career. While Loews might be the slowest corner, it isn’t the only slow corner on the tracks. The Saint Devote named after the church beside the corner, Mirabeau, Nouvelle Chicane, and La Rascasse are all examples of slow and narrow corners. 

As the circuit is built around the streets of Monaco, the buildings are right alongside the track, just behind the barriers. As a result, the corners cannot be as wide as a traditional F1 Circuit and are very narrow. Because of the narrow nature, the F1 cars need to slow down immensely to take the corner, otherwise, they will run wide on the exit and into the wall, ending the race. Let’s see what a lap around the Monaco circuit would look and feel like. 

According to Monte-Carlo.mc, the site quotes as they explain the layout of Circuit de Monaco, “Passed the line, the pilot arrives at Sainte Dévote curve, place of many accidents. The track goes up until the left-right of the Casino of Monte-Carlo, and from there, goes down again to the right curve of the Mirabeau. It continues then to the slowest turn of the championship: Virage Fairmont (formerly Virage Loews), on the site of which is the Fairmont Hotel Monte-Carlo. The section of the Portier brings to the sea, where the track borrows a tunnel and carries out to the baffle close to the port. Then turn on the left of the Tobacco Shop, the section of the Swimming pool, then the stiff turn on the right with Rascasse, follow-up of the curve Anthony Noghes, then finally the line of the stands.”

8 of the 19 corners on the track are taken at less than 60 mph using the second gear. The Monaco GP is very hard on the gearbox as well as the team faces the challenge of a breakdown or problem as showcased by Daniel Ricciardo in 2018. Let’s see what other challenges are faced by the teams and how they tackle them. 

How do F1 Teams Manage the Unique Corners & Slow Speeds in Monaco?

With Monaco being one of a kind track on the F1 calendar and nothing coming close to its characteristics, F1 teams usually bring a specific aerodynamic upgrade. This upgrade/package usually consists of a bulky rear wing and other parts to support it. With the straights not being very long, mostly all the teams opt for a very high downforce setup and parts, as indicated by the bulky rear wing. The setups are done in such a way as to aid the cornering capabilities of the car even if that means losing performance on straight. 

FIA and F1 have regulations around the Gearbox ratios now but during the early 2010s gearbox ratios could be changed as every team brought a specific gearbox for the Monaco GP because of the amount of gear changes that needed to be done at this track. With many slow corners, drivers have to shift down, again and again, multiple times just to make it through the corner. Nevertheless, we don’t have the Gear ratio freedom anymore so the drivers and the teams make do with what they have. 

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Not every driver can excel at Circuit de Monaco. Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton, and Fernando Alonso, all these drivers have one thing in common and that is how they feel connected to the car. It’s like the car almost becomes an extension of their body. The driver needs to be one with the car in order to extract the full potential out of the machine at the Monaco GP.