Monaco Grand Prix

F1 in Monaco


The Monaco Grand Prix was conceived in the late 1920s, shortly after the Automobile Club of Monaco (ACM) applied for membership of the Association Internationale des Automobile Clubs Reconnus (AIACR), forerunner of the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). With no motor sport competitions held within the Principality, Anthony Noghes, son of the ACM's president, and racing driver Louis Chiron set about tracing a route through the streets that could be used for car races. That route would become the circuit for the first Monaco Grand Prix that took place on 14 April 1929.

Ever since then racing fans and celebrities have flocked to Monaco every year in May to experience the atmosphere of the most famous F1 race in the world. If you only ever get to see one Grand Prix, then it must be the one staged in Monaco.

Information and resources

We've gathered together information about events companies based in Monaco, and listed restaurants, cafes and hotels situated on the circuit, many of which have private terraces where you can reserve a table overlooking the action. If you're unable to visit, check our news feeds so you can stay in touch with the Grand Prix gossip, not forgetting Monaco IQ's occasional Formula One stories.

For a taste of the excitement, we've included some scenes from the 1966 movie Grand Prix, starring James Garner. The clip lasts about 7 minutes and features the cars with cameras mounted on them racing round the Monaco Grand Prix circuit. You really get a feel for just how dangerous it is, and how skilled the drivers must be.