An introduction to the Monaco Grand Prix
The Monaco Grand Prix is the classic F1 Championship race and is run through the streets of Monte Carlo, the capital of the Principality of Monaco. For many, the Monaco Grand Prix is the jewel in the crown of the annual F1 Championships and a truly historic Grand Prix.
The first Monaco Grand Prix was run in 1955, and since then little has changed. The track is slow but extremely challenging, and a favourite among F1 aficionados who feel that this is a track where upsets can happen. One weekend every year the streets of this tranquil city-state are turned into an exciting world-class racing track, giving it a special historical significance like something leftover from the bygone years of Monaco's elegance and glamour personified by the late Princess Grace.
Although considered to be one of the slowest tracks in the annual F1 Championship race, Monaco has its charm and that's what keeps spectators coming back year after year. The narrow track winds around the city, past the spectacular casino square, through the tunnel straight-away and then around the harbour, where two drivers so far have managed to let their cars go for a little swim.
It is one of those Grand Prix races that every driver dreams of winning one day. The winners of the Monaco Grand Prix include some legendary F1 drivers. Both Graham Hill, nicknamed 'Mr. Monaco', and Michael Schumacher have won the Monaco Grand Prix five times, Alain Prost four times and Stirling Moss and Jackie Steward three times. But only Michael Schumacher came close to the all time great, Ayrton Senna, who won the Monaco Grand Prix six times - five of them consecutively. The 2011 Monaco Grand Prix was won by Sebastian Vettel, his first time winning this event.
The Monaco Grand Prix has a colourful beginning. It grew out of a rivalry between two famous seaside towns, Nice and Monte Carlo. Nice had the carnival each year that attracted rich and famous visitors. Monte Carlo also wanted an event that would attract such wealthy visitors and started organising a car rally, which later became the Monte Carlo Rally and eventually evolved into the F1 Grand Prix. Now the annual F1 race in Monaco is the sport’s premier event, attracting spectators from all over the world.