After a week off following the Canadian GP, Formula 1 returns to the track. The sixth round of the 2026 season marks the start of the European leg. Kicking this leg off is the legendary race of the calendar: Monaco. As one of the Triple Crown races, this history event sees drivers face the tight streets of Monte Carlo. The principality now sees plenty of drivers reside there, but Charles Leclerc comes in as the home hero.
A Brief New Rule In 2025
Last year, the FIA introduced a mandatory two-stop rule in Monaco. The hopes with this strategy change was to produce more racing, resulting in a more exciting event for viewers. Unfortunately, it did not go to plan, and teams used drivers to create gaps to ensure places were not lost when pitting. Come the end of the race, the top four remained the same and everyone below P5 had been lapped. Lando Norris won the race from pole position, consequently reducing the gap to his teammate to only three points.
Following the race, drivers had mixed feelings over the new rule. Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton shared that it didn’t make a difference to his race. In contrast, Alex Albon spoke out against the two-stop strategy. Despite capitalising on creating gaps to take a double top ten finish, the Williams driver shared that “It’s not really how we want to go racing. In the end it’s a tactical game and we had to make it work.”
One of the outspoken drivers was the winner, Norris. He shared that the new rule gave drivers the opportunity to benefit due to luck, going on to ask: “Do you want to manufacture races? There hasn’t been any more overtaking here. I thought that was what was wanted.” Ultimately, this rule was not continued coming into 2026.
Formula 2 saw Alexander Dunne take pole position by a mere 0.003 seconds. DAMS Lucas Oil driver, Kush Maini had pole position for the reverse grid sprint race. Achieving a perfect start, he converted that into a win. Come the feature race, two red flags interrupted the racing. Ultimately, Jak Crawford took a late lead and saw his first feature race win of the year.
Nikola Tsolov was the star of the show in Formula 3. Rookie Alessandro Giusti inherited pole for the sprint race, but Martinius Stenshorne got the better start. The Hitech TGR driver then led the race through safety car periods to win his second race. After Tsolov took pole position, he led flag-to-flag with a gap of over seven seconds. His win created a new record in the class, becoming the first driver to win five Formula 3 feature races.
The Streets of Monte Carlo, Monaco
Monte Carlo sets the layout for the Circuit de Monaco. Running through the tight streets sees drivers contend with narrow straights and little overtaking areas. This track is the shortest on the Formula 1 calendar, at only 3.337 km long. Consequently, it has the most laps, 78.
Because overtaking is a rarity in the principality, qualifying is crucial. Perfecting a lap on Saturday is the key to having a good weekend on the French Riviera. Precision is the name of the game as drivers take on the iconic track. Threading through the streets sees them tackle some of the most well-known corners on the calendar. From Saint Devote to Mirabeau and La Rascasse, every corner is a challenge in and of itself.
Elevation and speed also come into play at Monaco. 138 feet of elevation change is faced throughout the track. Drivers face steep climbs in the first sector followed by heading down through the slowest corner in F1, the Turn 6 Fairmont Hairpin. Another challenge comes from the famous tunnel. Running in the shaded Turn 9, drivers have to adjust quickly to the light change as the exit and head straight into the Nouvelle Chicane.
Monaco was one of the first races in the series, joining in its inaugural year, 1950. Since then, it has only been missing five times, with one of those coming as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Graham Hill is known as Mr Monaco after winning five races in the principality. Michael Schumacher matched Hill, but Aryton Senna bested both of them. The Brazilian holds the most race wins here, with six to his name.
Of the current grid, six drivers are winners here, including home hero Charles Leclerc. Whilst Lewis Hamilton holds the race lap record (1:12.909), last year’s winner Norris set the fastest ever lap. His qualifying attempt was a blistering 1:09.954 and marked the first sub-70 seconds lap at the track.
Antonelli’s Championship To Lose
Coming to Monaco, Kimi Antonelli is on a winning streak. The Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team has stood on the top step of each race so far. But it’s the young Antonelli who is coming out on top in the team. After George Russell won the opening round, Antonelli has been the driver to beat. He boasts four wins in a row.
In Canada, a mechanical DNF saw an early end to Russell’s race. Speaking to Sky Sports F1 afterwards, he shared that he was proud of his weekend and didn’t know what more he could do. The Brit enjoyed his battle with Antonelli, but alluded that the championship is his teammate’s to lose.
As a result, the Italian has 131 points with a 43 point gap back to his teammate. The Mercedes duo are followed by Scuderia Ferrari HP. Leclerc currently leads Hamilton by three points. Next up is the Mastercard McLaren F1 Team. Reigning champion Norris sits fifth, ten points ahead of Oscar Piastri. Considering he did not start the first two races this year, Piastri has stormed through the standings in recent rounds.
Gabriele Minì leads the Formula 2 standings, with a 21 point gap. But the battle for second is close, with six points separating P2 to P7. Formula 3 has only seen a single round after the cancellation of Bahrain. Winning the opening in Australia, Ugo Ugochukwu leads the standings followed by Bruno Del Pino.
Schedule
The schedule for the Monaco Grand Prix is as follows. Please note that timings are in CEST.
Coming back to Europe will see some iconic races. But, arguably, none are more iconic than Monaco. Seamlessly blending the technical aspect of racing with luxury it is a standout event. As a glittering jewel of Formula 1, Monaco may not be the most exciting but it is the most impressive. All eyes will be on Antonelli to see if he can continue his winning streak. But with such a technical track, anything can happen.