(Motorsport-Total.com) – We don’t want to bore you with the usual Monaco phrases and clichés, but the time when the streets of Monte Carlo were big enough for Grand Prix racing is long gone – both in terms of the spectacle on the track and the ever-growing crowds of guests who make it difficult for staff who just want to do their job.
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There are many practical reasons why Monaco shouldn’t work, and many commercial reasons why it does. But while discussions about fine-tuning the 2026 regulations continue, seeing the real cars on track offered a welcome reminder of Monaco’s raison d’être on the 24-race calendar.
Nowhere do you get as close to the cars as in the narrow streets of this glittering resort, offering a privileged insight into what the drivers are really dealing with.
In the tunnel, you feel the power
Walking through the pedestrian zone behind Portier, we make our way past residents leisurely slurping their linguine alle vongole, paying little attention to the first free practice session on the TV behind them.
The climb up the steps to Mirabeau is worth it, however, as it’s there that you can truly observe how the cars balance on three wheels as the inside of the track drops away. Almost touching the guardrails, the drivers whip their cars around the Fairmont hairpin, before using the pavement to position the car towards the famous tunnel.
Today’s engine formula may be much quieter than in times past, but walking through the claustrophobic tunnel, you can’t escape the echoing roar of the V6 power units. Colapinto, Sainz, Piastri, Lindblad – they all chase their 1,000 hp around the blind corner in quick succession. A primal, almost vulgar display of power.
Onwards down to the Nouvelle Chicane, as the cars emerge from the long shadows of the tunnel. Here, McLaren’s anniversary livery, which seemed rather unspectacular on paper, truly comes alive as its metallic orange tones glitter in the summer sun.
Millimetre precision required
Standing on the narrow quay that separates the track from a row of luxury yachts, the tight chicane reveals itself as one of the places where the 2026 generation of cars appears visibly more lively than their predecessors, as the slightly smaller and lighter machines dart nimbly over the high kerbs.
As Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto would later demonstrate in qualifying, nothing less than absolute millimetre precision is good enough, as the slightest touch of the guardrails can have catastrophic consequences.
But it doesn’t get any easier from there, as another blind corner at Tabac leads to the mighty Swimming Pool section, Monaco’s newest prime spot, serving as a home for luxurious sponsor branding.
Somehow it feels surreal to stand on the outside of the first full-throttle kink – as if our subconscious wanted to tell us that the rapid changes of direction the cars make should physically be impossible.
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Then comes Rascasse, Anthony Nogues and the start-finish straight, which, however, offers only a very brief respite before the treacherous Sainte Devote and the winding uphill passage to the opulent Casino once again demand full concentration.
Drivers under pressure
“It brings adrenaline, stress,” said a beaming Pierre Gasly when we asked him to describe what it really feels like to put in that perfect qualifying lap that got him into Q3 – a feeling that mere mortals will never experience.
“There’s a lot at stake because you’re not really playing with kerbs or track limits. You’re playing with walls. You’re just trying to brake that one meter later, get on the throttle a little earlier, and use those few centimeters of margin you have to the wall on exit. I’m still buzzing, still full of adrenaline.”
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Not for a moment did we think about engine formulas, superclipping, or battery management at that moment.
This generation of cars could face further problems, as the sharp criticism from Fernando Alonso and Lando Norris after qualifying showed. Many of their strange driving characteristics remain hidden within the narrow confines of the cockpit, even if they are not directly visible to the naked eye.
But after weeks and months of talking, writing, and reading about these regulations, it was refreshing that all this talk was drowned out by the primal engine sound.
For a moment, everything is forgotten
The experience at the Monaco track was a welcome reminder of why we are here. Why Monaco, despite all its many weaknesses, still has a place on the calendar, and why the drivers are so uniquely good at what they do.
It also shows why a young Charles Leclerc, as a child, enthusiastically watched his childhood idol Michael Schumacher sweep through the streets in the red car, hoping to one day emulate the great German – and why doing exactly that in 2024 evoked such an emotional response.
The best thing about the Monaco track experience is that you don’t need a privileged media bib to be close to the action, as even as a normal spectator, you are inevitably up close and personal. Spending this Friday at the track was soothing medicine for an exhausted Formula 1 fan. For an hour, the world was perfectly fine.
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