Circuit de Monaco | |
Race information | |
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Number of times held | 74 |
First held | 1929 |
Most wins (drivers) | Ayrton Senna (6) |
Most wins (constructors) | McLaren (15) |
Circuit length | 3.337 km (2.074 mi) |
Race length | 260.286 km (161.734 mi) |
Laps | 78 |
Last race (2016) | |
Pole position | |
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Podium | |
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Fastest lap | |
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The Monaco Grand Prix (French: Grand Prix de Monaco) is a Formula One motor race held each year on the Circuit de Monaco. Run since 1929, it is widely considered to be one of the most important and prestigious automobile races in the world and, with the Indianapolis 500 and the 24 Hours of Le Mans, forms the Triple Crown of Motorsport. The circuit has been called "an exceptional location of glamour and prestige".
The race is held on a narrow course laid out in the streets of Monaco, with many elevation changes and tight corners as well as a tunnel, making it one of the most demanding tracks in Formula One. In spite of the relatively low average speeds, it is a dangerous place to race and often involves the intervention of a safety car. It is the only Grand Prix that does not adhere to the FIA's mandated 305-kilometre (190-mile) minimum race distance.
The event was part of the pre-Second World War European Championship and was included in the first World Championship of Drivers in 1950. It was designated the European Grand Prix two times, 1955 and 1963, when this title was an honorary designation given each year to one Grand Prix race in Europe. Graham Hill was known as "Mr. Monaco" due to his five Monaco wins in the 1960s. Brazil's Ayrton Senna won the race more times than any other driver, with six victories, winning five races consecutively between 1989 and 1993. Fernando Alonso is the only driver to have won the race in consecutive years for different constructors, winning for Renault in 2006 and McLaren in 2007.