Formula One Monaco Grand Prix
Every May, Monte Carlo
Pic credit: http://www.mclaren.com
There are 18 Grands Prix on this year's Formula One World Championship calendar and for every one the winner gets the same number of points. Ask any of the 20 drivers on the grid which race outside of their home GP they want to win the most, however, and to a man they will tell you it is Monaco.
This is the race that reigns supreme in terms of prestige and spectacle, as the drivers squeeze the ultimate performance out of their cars around the 3.34km street circuit and against a glitzy backdrop between the Princes's Palace and the Mediterranean sea.
Monaco is by far the most glamourous race venue on the circuit, the race the most taxing of the year on the drivers and the most exhilarating, up-close experience for spectators.
The names of the turns are etched in our minds, as those gleaming cars scream through the streets – Casino Square, the Lowes hairpin and Rascasse, entering that tunnel is an exhilarating sight heightened when the cars emerge into that epitome of Monte Carlo glamour, the harbour, chock full of yachts belonging to the super-rich and bedecked by the super-beautiful.
In short, if you love sport, a trip to the Monaco Grand Prix must be one of the must-see events in your travel plans.
GETTING THERE
Monte Carlo harbour, May 22, 2008 Picture: © Honda GP Ltd
The nearest airport to Monte Carlo is just 20 kilometres (12 miles) along the south of France’s world-famous coastline at Nice Cote D’Azur airport.
If you haven’t already booked a flight, be prepared to pay well over the odds. This is a trip where you definitely need to book ahead of brace yourself to dig deep into the bank account.
Direct flights
From Ireland
Monaco: what's not to love? Credit: Monaco Government Tourist Office
Aer Lingus from Belfast, Cork and Dublin
EasyJet from Belfast
Ryanair from Dublin
From the UK
BA from Heathrow, London City
BMi Baby from Birmingham, East Midlands
EasyJet from Bristol, Edinburgh, Gatwick, Heathrow, Liverpool, Newcastle, Stansted
FlyBe from Exeter, Southampton
Jet2.com from Leeds Bradford and Manchester
From North America
Aer Lingus from Boston & New York via Dublin
Air Transat from Montreal, Toronto
Delta/Air France from New York JFK
Overland:
A train journey from London St Pancras to Nice takes between 8.5 and 9hrs 40 minutes by Eurostar and French TGV changing in Paris. Booking on www.eurostar.com is only available three months in advance with prices right now weighing in at 240stg each way.
NBSE WARNING: There is French general workers’ strike on from Wednesday evening to Friday morning and while Eurostar says its services will not be adversely affected domestic TGV connections may be disrupted.
GETTING IN
The Automobile Club of Monaco organizes the race each year, selling more than 3,000 seats on the circuit.
To order tickets or to receive information regarding ticket ordering, please contact the Automobile Club of Monaco directly. They start sending out information in November. Tickets are also available from ticket booths set up during the race. Prices for tickets range anywhere from €90 to more than €500 for top-notch seats.
The best sections as marked on the tickets are A1, A4, V, Z1, Z2 and O.
Race tickets can also be bought in advance on the web through F1’s official website or Ticketmaster's French affiliate fnacspectacles.com
If you are in Monte Carlo looking for tickets and strike out at the ticket booths, there will be plenty of private sellers in the surrounding streets, though having not had any experience of this we are not advising or encouraging you to take this option.
Pic credit: www.mclaren.com
As with anything in life it is up to you to use your discretion and common sense before you venture down this particular side road.
Like the good residents at or close to the scene of any big annual sporting event, many Monegasque locals move out during race weekends, renting out their terraces for the four days of the event. Look for ads in the local newspapers such as Nice Matin or the English language International Herald Tribune. It’s not cheap, prices start at around $8000 for the four days.
A cheaper but still pleasurable option is to book lunch at a restaurant or hotel overlooking the circuit. Many such eateries offer special menus that allow you to watch the Grand Prix from their terrace. Expect an all-in price of meal and race view for between €90 and €500, cheaper for practice and qualifying days.
WHERE TO STAY
Hotel rooms are hard to come by during race weekend unless you book at least six months in advance.
The best option nearer the time, and cheaper all of the time, is to book a room in nearby towns like the wonderful Menton or the bustling Nice and prepare to bus or train in to Monte Carlo for the racing.
You could also get a boat into Monaco on a regular service from the French port of St. Jean Cap Ferrat.
WHAT NOT TO DO
Do not bother even thinking about driving into Monte Carlo during the GP weekend. Finding a parking space is out of the question while getting in and out of town is a nightmare.
TOP TIP
Honda driver and local resident Jenson Button: “Being a resident of Monaco is of no benefit over the race weekend as the principality is completely transformed! It's unbelievably busy and getting around can be just impossible.
“My top tip would be to walk everywhere or use a scooter.
“What I love about Monaco is that it is a fantastic race for the fans who can get so close to the action and noise of Formula One."
DON'T FORGET: Like most things connected with the Monaco Grand Prix, the race schedule here differs from the norm in Formula One.
Every other race sees the teams run through free practice sessions on Friday and Saturday morning before qualifying takes place on Saturday afternoon to decide starting positions on the grid for race day on Sunday.
In Monaco, free practice takes place on Thursday, with Friday being a 'day of rest' for the teams. So there is no running from Thursday afternoon until Saturday morning.
BOTTOM LINE: SHOULD I STAY OR SHOULD I GO?
If you are well organised, can plan ahead with military precision and, most importantly afford it, then this is a must see. But the Monaco Grand Prix is not the place for last-minute travellers.
THE RACE
Pic credit: www.mclaren.com
Track Information
Circuit length: 3.34km / 2.075 miles
Race distance: 260.52km / 161.887 miles
Laps: 78
Number of corners: 19
Inaugural race: 1929
Last year: 1 Fernando Alonso (McLaren-Mercedes); 2 Lewis Hamilton (McLaren-Mercedes); 3 Felipe Massa (Ferrari)
Pole position time 2007: 1min 15.726 (Alonso)
Fastest race lap 2007: 1min 15.284 (Alonso)
What it takes to win
The 3.34 km lap may be the shortest of the year but Monaco is one of the most challenging drives of the year, placing extreme demands on the cars and forcing the teams to implement one-off set-ups for them.
This street circuit requires soft tyres and a high downforce configuration to counterbalance relatively poor grip which makes the opening practice sessions particularly dicy, even if slow corners make up the lap.
Those corners – Lowes, Chicane and Rascasse - are some of the most famous in the sport yet are all taken in either first or second gear, putting the brakes under extreme pressure and raising the number of gear changes well over 4,000 in the race.
With speeds as low as 28mph heading into Lowes, the fastest stretch on the circuit is through the tunnel at 180mph, for just eight seconds.
That also means that this tight and twisty track means drivers have to concentrate harder than ever, the smallest lapses horribly punished by unforgiving kerbs.
RELEVANT LINKS
Nice Cote D’Azur Airport: http://www.nice.aeroport.fr
French Trains: http://www.voyages-sncf.com
Eurostar: http://www.eurostar.com
Automobile Club de Monaco: http://www.acm.mc
Monaco Official website: http://www.visitmonaco.com