ROUND 06 | MONACO

A point in the PrincipalityA point in the Principality

The team has earned its first point of the 2026 season after Fernando took P10 at the Monaco Grand Prix. Lance unfortunately retired from the race after making contact with a barrier.

Read on for all the thoughts and reaction from the team trackside in Monte Carlo.

Fernando and Lance lined up P20 and P21 on the grid, promoted one position each with Gabriel Bortoleto starting in the pit lane.
Our drivers kept it clean at the start and pitted early to switch from the Medium to Soft compound tyres, as the team eyed a one-stop strategy.
Much of the race, typically for Monaco, was processional, with both our drivers lapping towards the back end of the field.
In the closing stages, Lance made contact with the barriers at Turn 19, reporting an issue in the deceleration phase of the corner, while the track surface breaking up on entry may have also played a part.
This sparked a Safety Car period, with Fernando pitting for a fresh set of Softs as the field bunched up.
On racing conditions resuming, Charles Leclerc suffered a similar incident to Lance at the same corner, prompting a red flag as the FIA sought to inspect the tarmac at Turn 19.
At the race restart, Fernando fought hard to take P11 across the line, which became P10 as Sergio Pérez was handed a penalty after the chequered flag.
A point on the board for 2026. Thank you to the team, our partners, and our fans for the ongoing work and continued support. Our focus now turns to Barcelona next weekend.

THE LATEST FROM THE TRACK

Monaco is the marquee event. When many – if not most – people think of Formula One, the image that rises unbidden is of cars flashing past the yachts in Port Hercules – and the harbour is only part of the glamour in an event famed for its celebrity sightings, fashion and A-list parties.

Very occasionally a race breaks out too. In the dry, those have a tendency towards the processional, with the real heart-in-mouth drama taking place on Saturday during F1's most tense qualifying hour. It's a crucible in the most innocuous of years, but two extra cars on F1's most cramped circuit, and a complex energy deployment procedure are sure to ramp up the pressure even higher. Plus, we've got Mari on track this weekend in F2, at a circuit where, last year, he finished the F3 Feature Race on the podium.

We also arrive in Monaco with a bold new look. Together with our Principal Partner Maaden, we've unveiled a striking special livery which will change colour as the AMR26 laps the circuit, symbolising the transformation of raw materials into advanced technology.

Take a closer look at the livery below, and keep scrolling for everything you need to know this weekend.

RACE STARTS IN:

days

hrs

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Session Times

FP1

FP2

FP3

Quali

Race

Toggle below to highlight parts of the track.

Sectors
Turns
Overtake Mode

Massenet and Casino are difficult. All corners are difficult in Monaco. There's never enough grip.

Pedro de la Rosa – Team Representative

Circuit length
3.337km
Number of corners
19
Race distance
260.286km

NEED TO KNOW: MONACO GP

THE CIRCUIT

THE GRAND PRIX

THE STRATEGY

THE FACTS

THE TRAVEL GUIDE

LAST TIME OUT IN MONACO

THE CIRCUIT

There's a curious contradiction whenever drivers describe the Circuit de Monaco: at length, they will list its many deficiencies as a modern race track… and then call it the greatest and most enjoyable challenge on the F1 calendar. Neither of these depictions is untrue. They're not even contradictory.

This isn't quite the same circuit that hosted the inaugural Monaco Grand Prix, though the majority of what remains today would be familiar to the Bugatti, Mercedes, Delage and Alfa Romeo drivers of 1929. Land reclamation has created a little more room in the Principality, though the track is a little more squeezed, which isn't a good thing for these wide, modern F1 cars – hence the metaphor of doing a lap here being like riding a bicycle in your living room.

The best overtaking spot is coming out of the Tunnel (T9), under braking into the Nouvelle Chicane (T10), though 'best' in this context is grading on a very shallow curve: it's still almost impossible to pass, and that's helped (or hindered) by the large bump coming down the hill that unsettles the cars and has led, over the years, to some heavy crashes at this corner. In common with the other venerable bumps around the circuit, successive resurfacing work attempts to flatten them out, but there's only so much the track authorities can do.

With Sunday's racing tending towards the processional, this is a circuit where Qualifying takes centre stage. A fully-committed lap of the Circuit de Monaco is always millimetres away from disaster. While the faster corners, through Tabac (T12) and the Swimming Pool (T13-T16) tend to catch the eye, it's the lower speed sections of track where the larger chunks of time are gained and lost. Teams will pile-on as much downforce as they can find, because with less than 40 per cent of lap-time at full throttle, carrying extra speed through the corners always outweighs the drag penalty.

THE GRAND PRIX

We've told you that Monaco is the slowest race on the F1 calendar – but watching trackside it feels like the fastest: there aren't many places where you can get closer to a working F1 car than Monaco. Grandstands are a bit of a mixed bag, more or less crammed in wherever space allows. Most of the seats are located on the waterfront, either side of the track between Tabac and Rascasse at the end of the lap.

Many of the seats are of the single-corner variety – but the K tribune, running from Tabac to the Swimming Pool entrance offers a bit more – depending on where you're seated. Luck into the correct spot, you might get a view all the way back to the Nouvelle Chicane – or you might not. It is, however, as much an auditory experience as a visual one in the middle of the track, with cars on all four sides. Over the other side of the track, with its back to the harbour, Grandstand O looks down on the Swimming Pool section. If there's a singular part of the track that you'd like to see an F1 car attacking, this is it. Very quick; very risky.

Also, it's worth noting, this is a city, not a permanent racetrack, and access to the grandstands can be limited. Basically, once you're in position, it isn't easy to leave. The bulk of the seats are uncovered – which means the day can cover the gamut from soaking to baking with something astoundingly pleasant in-between.

For anyone who prefers their Grand Prix experience a little more al fresco, there's a general admission zone at La Rocher, which overlooks the pit entry and the short blatt between Rascasse and Noghes.

THE STRATEGY

Strategy in F1 is heavily influenced by overtaking potential. At one end of the scale is the by-the-numbers race in which overtaking is straightforward and finishing position is determined by race pace. At the other end of the scale is Monaco. Track position is everything in Monaco, with the narrow, low-speed circuit not conducive to overtaking. It's also one for relatively low tyre degradation. Put those two things together and what you get is a race that naturally defaults to a one-stop.

As was the case in Montréal, we are a nominal step harder in Monaco this year, Pirelli having removed the C6 compound from their range. The C3, C4, C5 should all be reasonably good race tyres, and the timing of a pit stop is less about wear and degradation, and more about finding a good window into which to drop the car. Monaco is a short, crowded circuit. Getting the car out of the pit lane and into clear air versus emerging in a gaggle of traffic can make all the difference between a position gained and a position lost.

THE FACTS

1 | The Monaco Grand Prix was first held in 1929. It appeared on the original Formula One World Championship calendar in 1950, and reappeared in 1955. Having since then missed only the 2020 season, only the British and Italian Grands Prix have appeared on the calendar more often, and only Monza has hosted more races.

2 | The 1950 Monaco Grand Prix holds the lowest average speed record for a non-interrupted race, with Juan Manual Fangio winning at an average of 98.701km/h (61mph). The 2023 edition (the last race without a full or virtual Safety Car), raised that to 143.452km/h (89mph). In contrast, the next slowest circuit is Singapore at 182km/h (113mph).

3 | Because speeds in Monaco are low, the race is shortened. Every other Grand Prix is contested over 305km; Monaco drops this to 260km. This makes for a 78-lap race. In the early years, the race was held over 100 laps.

4 | Ayrton Senna is the most successful driver in Monaco, winning six times – one more than Graham Hill and Michael Schumacher.

5 | The hairpin is the lowest-speed corner in F1, with speeds dropping below 50km/h (31mph). The steering rack of an F1 car often requires some adjustment to make the turn.

6 | Fernando has back-to-back victories here, winning in 2006 and 2007.

7 | Olivier Panis holds the record for claiming victory from furthest back, starting P14 in 1996. No-one else has won from outside the top ten, and no-one since Panis has won from outside the top three.

8 | Monaco's corner names tend to be quite literal. Sainte-Dévote passes by the Sainte-Dévote Chapel, Massenet references the bust of composer Jules Massenet, located outside the Opera House, Mirabeau was/is a hotel, Loews, which became the Grand Hotel and later the Fairmont, was a hotel and casino. The Nouvelle Chicane is the new chicane that replaced the Chicane du Port, there was a tobacconist at Tabac and Rascasse goes around the Rascasse bar where the party goes on until the early hours. The one exception is Antony Noghès: the final corner is named in honour of the race's founder.

THE TRAVEL GUIDE

Part of the magic of Monaco is that everything within track limits is very, very accessible. The number of people who go to Monaco on Grand Prix weekend far outstrips the number of grandstand seats – and while many of the overflow will be watching the race from balconies or the decks of the yachts in Port Hercules, there's plenty who will simply be in the Principality to soak up the atmosphere, see the sights and do a little bit of people-watching.

Once the track activity is done for the day, the circuit opens to traffic – including, if you're careful, foot traffic. While walking the track, you can have a pizza in the famous Tip Top restaurant, following in the footsteps of Graham Hill, or wander down to Rascasse and join the party that spills out onto the track every evening.

Away from the harbour, Monaco is busy during race weekend. F1 tends to monopolise Place d'Armes, which is where a lot of the merchandising is set up – but it's also home to the stage, from which live music will pour forth, in between the appearances from various drivers. Elsewhere in the Principality's tangle of tiny streets, it isn't a great week to visit any of those haute couture boutiques – but it is a good one to go to a café or pizzeria, kick back with a demi-carafe of wine and watch the world go by – if you can find a table.

Of course, that's not everyone's speed. The residents of Monaco – including plenty of ex-F1 drivers – tend to make their excuses this week and leave town for somewhere quieter – but even if you only want a morning off, there's tranquillity to be found a short-ish walk away. Stroll west past Fontvieille and along the coastal path to Cap-d'Ail (or spend a couple of Euros for three minutes on the train – but the walk is nicer) and suddenly you're on the French Riviera at the start of summer with all the possibilities that entails. Sit in the park; have lunch at an elegant shoreline restaurant, or go for a swim in the warm blue waters off Mala Beach. It's a nice way to spend a morning. It's an even nicer way to spend a day.

LAST TIME OUT IN MONACO

Our five races in Monaco have produced a mix of highs and lows. Our debut in 2021 went well, with both Sebastian and Lance making strong progress, with Seb profiting from an overcut to finish P5, and Lance going super long to make up places to finish P8. 2022 had a downpour and a delay. It was a day to gamble with the tyre choices, there was another red flag, Lance hit a barrier at Massenet but kept going on a day when many didn't, and Seb grabbed a point for tenth.

Hundredths of a second separated Fernando from pole position in 2023, in what may have been our closest brush with victory to date. He started P2 and doggedly followed Max Verstappen until a rainstorm interrupted proceeding. Fernando put it all on the line, pitting for more slicks – but the rain intensified, and he had to pit again for Inters, and settle for P2.

We had a couple of goes at starting the 2024 Monaco Grand Prix, following a crash – huge even by Monaco standards – at the start on the way up the Beau Rivage. It happened behind Lance and Fernando, who took both starts in P13 and P14. After the restart, good teamwork and a strong strategy put Lance on the cusp of a point – but a late-race puncture meant, for the first time, we left Monaco empty-handed.

Last year we had the novel sight of a two-stop minimum in Monaco. Lance started at the back, after being caught up in Q1 traffic and an unfortunate yellow flag, but Fernando powered through to Q3 and started P7. He looked like being on the cusp of scoring his first points of the year, but for a particularly cruel engine failure that forced him to retire.

From Rock to Racetrack

The story of Maaden's Monaco Grand Prix livery

One of the most visually ambitious Formula One liveries to date. This is how it was done.

Jenson's Journal | Entry 02

The inside guide to life in the Principality

Lifting the lid on what living in Monaco is really like, revealing how to truly celebrate winning the Grand Prix, and tipping Fernando for another attempt at completing motorsport's Triple Crown. Tap below for the second entry in Jenson's Journal.