Webber and Alonso wheel to wheel at the 2011 German GP

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May 21, 2012

Circuit Guide: Monaco | Motor Sports May 21, 2012

Juan Pablo Montoya, Kimi Raikkonen and Michael Schumacher on the podium in 2004

We've everything you need to know about the most glamorous race on the F1 calendar as the 2012 World Championship heads to Monaco...

May 21, 2012

Mark Webber off the track and on the record | Formula One May 21, 2012

Mark Webber at Hangar 7 Austria

We catch up with Mark Webber switch during his recent trip to Red Bull's Hangar 7 at Salzburg Airport, Austria. We ask how the Aussie relaxes away from racing, his thoughts on the season ahead and...

May 21, 2012

Sebastian Vettel off the track and on the record | Formula One May 21, 2012

Sebastian Vettel at hangar 7 Salzburg

We catch up with Sebastian switch during his recent trip to Red Bull's Hangar 7 at Salzburg Airport, Austria. We find out how a two-time world champion relaxes away from the race track and get his...

May 20, 2012

When Red Bull Racing Met Kiev May 20, 2012

SV_SHOWRUN_KIEV_19052012_0368.jpg

The Red Bull Racing Running Showcar team rolled into the Ukrainian capital of Kiev this weekend to demonstrate the thrill of Formula One in a fun and fast display along the city's streets.

May 17, 2012

F1 Blog: Overtaking has become a bit of a drag | Spanish F1 Grand Prix May 17, 2012

Vettel closes on Hamilton Catalunya

Is the huge increase in passing too much of a good thing? Possibly not, according to Formula One journalist Justin Hynes in his latest blog…

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Event Details

Location
Monte Carlo, Monaco (Map this address )
Start
MAY 24, 2012 at 12:00 AM
End
MAY 27, 2012 at 11:59 PM
About
Like so many of the European races, the Monaco Grand Prix predates the current World Championship. In actual fact the first Grand Prix in the area took place in 1929, was organised by founder Anthony Noghès, and is widely considered to be one of the most important and prestigious automobile races in the world. The Circuit de Monaco is a street circuit through the city streets of Monte Carlo and La Condamine around the harbour of Monaco. Preparation and building of this infamous circuit begins six weeks before the big event and then takes a further three weeks of dismantling when it's all over. The track has many elevations shifts, tight corners and a narrow course which ranks it right up there as one of, if not the, toughest and most demanding in Formula One racing. Over the years the course has changed several times, but that has never detracted from its status as the ultimate test of driving skills and abilities. In stark contrast to eachother it contains both the slowest corner in Formula One (the Grand Hotel hairpin, taken at just 50kph (31mph) and one of the quickest (the flat out kink in the tunnel, three turns beyond the hairpin, taken at 260kph (160mph) which goes a long way in summing up its difficulty.

Due to the tight and twisty nature of the circuit, it favours the individual skill of the driver as opposed to the power of the cars. That being said however, the course is so dangerously narrow that very little overtaking occurs. The circuit has been recognised among the racing community as being less safe as other high profile circuits, in fact, were it not already an existing Grand Prix it would not be permitted to be added to the Formula One schedule, for safety reasons.

In January 2009 the Circuit de Monaco was voted top of the 'Seven Sporting Wonders of the World', in a poll of 3,500 British sports fans.