Monaco is the epitome of Formula One.

The principality is famously known as a playground and a haven, attracting tourists as well as the rich and famous. It may be the world’s second smallest independent state (at 0.76 square miles, it’s barely half the size of New York’s Central Park), but it’s packed with casinos, designer malls and clubs. Each year when the grand prix rolls around, the harbor fills with yachts as fans prepare for the thrill on track and champagne moments afterwards on the podium.

Monaco’s street track was part of the calendar for F1’s inaugural season in 1950, and it’s kept that place every year since 1955, except for the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.

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The iconic circuit is narrow, requiring pinpoint accuracy because even being a millimeter off can be a costly error as the drivers navigate around famous buildings, a tight hairpin and past a slew of yachts. Early races saw the occasional car end up in the harbor; now, fans see costly shunts into the barriers. Overtaking is incredibly difficult (the 2003 race saw zero on-track overtakes), and strategy is critical. Nelson Piquet once said driving in Monaco is “like riding a bicycle around your living room.”

As the 2023 edition of the Monaco Grand Prix kicks off, here’s all you need to know about one of the jewels in F1’s crown.

Something of a squeeze

Though they’ve fluctuated over time, Formula One cars have gotten longer, wider and heavier as the machinery continues to advance, particularly in recent years.

The cars were approximately 5.9 feet wide in 2017 to the maximum 2000mm (6.56 feet) last season. This is around two meters, and that’s not counting the tires, which have also gotten wider.

When it comes to tight tracks like Monaco, where the circuit’s space is dictated by its surroundings, width can present unique challenges as drivers figure out how to navigate areas like the Turn 6 hairpin.

Points of interest (with a history lesson)

The Monaco Grand Prix is part of motorsport’s Triple Crown (along with the Indianapolis 500 and 24 Hours of Le Mans) for a reason. It’s 78 laps of pure adrenaline as drivers tackle the 19 turns in the heart of the Principality, zipping past the iconic Monte-Carlo Casino, the yacht-filled harbor and more.

Turn 1: Sainte Dévote

The track’s opening turn is a righthander with a small chapel just beyond the barriers on the left. Expect to see lockups happen here and cars go straight into the run-off. During the opening lap, it’s one of the few places you could see a shuffle in the grid depending on who gets a better start.

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The Sainte Dévote Chapel dates to the 11th century and is dedicated to the patron saint of Monaco.

Turn 3: Massenet

The cars are at the top of the hill as they enter the tight, quick left-hand turn and one of the highest points of the circuit. This portion of the track runs in front of the opera house and is named after French opera composer, Jules Massenet.

Turn 4: Casino Square

This is one of the most iconic and recognizable corners on the circuit that even non-motorsports fans may know — the 1995 James Bond film “Golden Eye” includes scenes filmed in the Monte-Carlo Casino. The righthander takes drivers past the front of the establishment.

Another off-track fun fact: Gambling is illegal for Monaco residents. According to the BBC, Princess Caroline felt the revenue shouldn’t come from Monégasques but instead, foreigners. Monaco citizens still get a good deal: They don’t pay income taxes.

Turn 6: The Hairpin 

This turn has had a couple of names over the years, including “Loews Hairpin” or the “Fairmont Hairpin,” the latter of which is the name of a famous hotel just outside of the corner. Sandwiched between a pair of righthanders, it’s one of the slowest turns on F1’s calendar (think normal car speed on a residential road type slow), and if the driver does not hit it correctly, they could turn the track into normal street with a traffic jam.

Turn 8: Portier

It’s well recommended for the drivers to take the righthander rather than heading off into the sea as the 20 cars barrel towards the tunnel. This corner is named after a nearby neighborhood, Le Portier.

There’s been a few infamous crashes here, such as in 1988 when Ayrton Senna’s wreck led to his rival (and teammate) Alain Prost winning. Senna went straight to his Monaco apartment afterwards and didn’t contact the team until later that evening. In 2017, Jenson Button and Pascal Wehrlein were involved in a nasty-looking collision. Button was competing for McLaren in a one-off appearance and tried to make a move on the inside of Wehrlein’s Sauber. The gap closed, and Wehrlein’s car ended up sideways. Wehrlein later said, per Sky Sports, that his head touched the barrier.

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Then there’s the more recent moment that caused a stir during the 2022 season, when Sergio Pérez lost the rear of his car during qualifying and crashed backwards into the barrier at Portier.

Turns 10 and 11: Nouvelle Chicane

After going through the tunnel, drivers are met with a prime overtaking opportunity in front of the yachts. The chicane was reprofiled in the 1980s, changing the name from Chicane du Port to Nouvelle Chicane (which means new in French).

Turn 12: Tabac

A tobacco shop nestled on the outside of the track gave this lefthander its name. During the 1950 grand prix, a wave crashed into this corner, causing a major pile up that eliminated a chunk of the grid.

Turns 13-16: The Swimming Pool section

This technical complex has drivers essentially tackle two chicanes — the left-to-right Louis Chiron (named after a former Monégasque F1 driver) and a right-to-left sequence that takes the drivers out of the swimming pool section. This latter sequence, called Piscine, is a slower portion as history has seen drivers clip part of the wall on Turn 15, which could break the suspension and/or send drivers flying into the barriers on the outside of Turn 16.

Mick Schumacher crashed in this section during last year’s race, splitting his car into two when he hit the barriers.

Rascasse

This fairly narrow corner is named after a restaurant of the same name (which itself shares a name with the scorpionfish that’s an ingredient in bouillabaisse). The righthander’s arguably most famous moment came during 2006 qualifying when Michael Schumacher caused a scandal of sorts. The stewards determined the Ferrari driver purposefully parked his car at Rascasse to prevent competitors from improving their times and sent him to the back of the grid for race day.

Virage Antony Noghes

Finally, we come to the portion that is named after the Monaco Grand Prix’s founder. It’s the rare point on the track where two cars can go side-by-side — and have before. In 2010, Michael Schumacher passed Fernando Alonso heading into this portion right as the safety car was leaving the track (and was subsequently dealt a penalty).

Drivers defend Monaco

Though it may sound dramatic, getting through Monaco is a matter of survival. Mika Häkkinen, who won the F1 world championship in 1998 and 1999, won the Monaco Grand Prix 25 years ago, and in a tweet this week, he acknowledged fans may feel the race is “too predictable” because of the overtaking difficulty. But he highlighted why it’s still a noteworthy grand prix: “For me it’s the challenge between the driver and the circuit, still unique in #F1.”

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The current F1 drivers agree. Esteban Ocon said last season, “It’s one way to race that you don’t have anywhere else. You really need to qualify and the race is very difficult to overtake or you need to take a risk. So for us, it’s completely different.”

Focus is vital, Valtteri Bottas said Thursday. “If you can keep the concentration for each quarter, each lap, you won’t make a mistake.” Practice is another key element, not just on track but also on the simulator.

Charles Leclerc — a Monaco native who remembers watching Ferrari’s red car zipping past from his friend’s balcony growing up — said this race weekend takes a different approach. “Whenever we get to this track is all about going step by step to the limit and so qualifying where you go all out. And that’s such an incredible feeling.” The Monégasque likened the track to his karting days. “You don’t really have time to think because there are no straights so it’s corners after corners.”

Monaco presents a balance of risk versus reward — just how far do you push?

“Most often, it’s just sheer luck,” Lewis Hamilton said. “Throw it into the corner and come out with your eyes open. And hopefully you’ve made it round.”

(Lead image: David Davies – PA Images, Klemantaski Collection/Getty Images; Design: Drew Jordan)