Italy’s Gabriele Mini (Prema Racing) set the fastest time in the one and only free practice session for Formula 3 at the 81^st Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco, just 91 thousandths clear of his compatriot Leonardo Fornaroli (Trident).

The session began on slick tyres, on a dry track, and ended 45 minutes later on rain tyres, in order to start preparing for the rest of the Monaco weekend where, as usual, there will be lots of surprises, not just in terms of the weather.

Several drivers made mistakes, but without too much damage, and each time the marshals of Automobile Club de Monaco (ACM) did their job perfectly, clearing the track in record time. Mini, who won last year’s Feature Race in Monaco from pole position, made it clear that he intends to remain the boss in the Principality, even though he changed team this winter. He set a time of 1:27.400 and completed a total of 19 laps, as did Fornaroli and another favourite this weekend, Sweden’s Dino Beganovic, his team-mate at Prema.

Meguetounif in 4^th place!

Behind this infernal trio, grouped together in just over one second, a young Frenchman, rookie Sami Meguetounif (Trident), the winner last Sunday at Imola of his first F3 race, posted the 4^th fastest time in this session, but two seconds behind Mini. And he also provoked one of the three red flags of this very intense free practice session.

The Top 6 was completed by a Briton with a French name, Callum Voisin (Rodin Motorsport), ahead of an Australian with a famous name, Christian Mansell (ART GP), but who is not related to Nigel, the British world champion. For the record, Sebastian Montoya (Campos), son of the famous Juan Pablo, had to make do with 13^th place, ahead of the only female driver entered, Sophia Floersch (21^st), who races for Van Amersfoort Racing.

After six races in Bahrain, Australia and Imola, Fornaroli leads the provisional FIA Formula 3 Championship standings, ahead of Luke Browning (Hi-Tech), Beganovic and Mini. Qualifications are scheduled for Friday, from 11.05am, for two groups of 15 drivers.

Practice session classification

As is the case every year around the time of the Cannes Film Festival, a host of stars arrived in the Principality for the 81st Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco. And the line-up is very attractive, with a trio of stars entered by three ‘top teams’: Max Verstappen of course, the three-time reigning world champion and still dominant in his Red Bull RB20, Charles Leclerc, the local hero, in his Ferrari, and a new kid on the block, Lando Norris, whose McLaren is improving at every Grand Prix.

In Miami, England’s Norris has joined a very select circle of 114 drivers having won a Formula 1 Grand Prix, out of the thousand or so who have taken part in at least one race since 1950. And even if his record is still slim (1 win, 1 pole position, 6 fastest laps, 17 podium finishes), at the age of 24, he is a driver on the rise. Need another proof? Since the start of 2024 which, like the previous two seasons, has been dominated by Red Bull (5 wins in 7 races), Norris has finished on the podium four times. And last Sunday at Imola, he threatened ‘Max the Menace’ right to the end, finishing just 7 tenths behind the insatiable Dutchman.

He was also on the podium at Imola, in front of thousands of delighted tifosi: Charles Leclerc, back to his best and still in the hunt for a prestigious win in Monaco. A win that has always eluded him since 2018, when he made his F1 debut in a Ferrari-powered Sauber. Twice, in 2021 and 2022, Charles started from pole position, with all eyes on the Sainte-Dévote bend, but never yet has the Monegasque driver managed to stand on the most coveted podium of the F1 season, in the box of H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco.

So, of course, Max Verstappen is the great favourite for this 81st Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco, but he too had to wait a long time before winning in the streets of the Principality, in 2021, in his sixth F1 season. He did it again in 2023 and still has the ultimate weapon on track, but his rivals are getting organised, making progress and doing everything in their power, at every Grand Prix, to try and beat him, in qualifying and in the race. This has already happened twice this year, thanks to Carlos Sainz (victory in Australia) and Lando Norris (victory in Miami). It will be the case again this weekend at Circuit de Monaco, where the slightest mistake is paid for in cash.

Sainz, Piastri and Pérez, the outsiders

Even the Red Bull Racing team is not immune to error, bad strategy, bad timing or bad luck following a racing incident. This gives a little hope to Carlos Sainz in the other Ferrari, Oscar Piastri in the other McLaren and even Sergio Perez in the other Red Bull. The Mexican loves Monaco too, and he has already won in the Principality, in 2022. It was one of ‘Checo’s’ six F1 victories, for a very experienced driver who has already taken 264 Grand Prix starts since 2011.

As this is the Monaco Grand Prix, and the 30th anniversary of Ayrton Senna’s tragic death at Imola, there will be plenty of talk all weekend about the Brazilian champion, who holds the all-time record for wins (6) in Monaco. There will be a special livery for the McLarens of Norris and Piastri, unveiled on Wednesday evening in a small gathering at the brand’s distributor in Monaco. It will be visible on Friday, on the track and in the homes of millions of fans around the world, for the first free practice session of this 81stFormula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco.

F2, F3 and Porsche Supercup open on Thursday!

The drivers entered for the support races will get the ball rolling on Thursday afternoon, while the F1 drivers complete their Media Day ritual.

During three free practice sessions, essential for fine-tuning cars before Friday’s qualifying, the winners of last weekend’s races in Imola will be in action again: Frenchmen Isack Hadjar, currently third in the FIA Formula 2 Championship, and Sami Meguetounif, who has just won for the first time in Formula 3; German Oliver Goethe, who won the F3 Sprint race on Saturday, and Italian Franco Colapinto, who won the F2 Sprint; Dutchman Larry ten Voorde, a two-time Porsche Supercup champion, who also won at Imola.

Everything is set for a super show all weekend in the streets of the Principality… and on all your screens!

GRANDS PRIX 2024 TICKET OPENING

The Official Ticketing dates for the 81st Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco (23-26 May 2024) and the 14th Grand Prix de Monaco Historique (10-12 May 2024) are now official.

The Ticket Office will open its doors on Monday November 6th exclusively for ACM Members for a period of 15 days. The General Public will have access to the various offers from Tuesday November 21st.

On this occasion, the Official Ticketing Service of the Automobile Club de Monaco will launch its new, innovative and intuitive website www.monaco-grandprix.com, featuring 3D graphics to help you make your selections.

You will find all the useful informations to make your purchases directly on the website or at the Official Ticket Office.

Official Ticketing Opening hours:
Monday to Friday 09:00 – 17:00
44 rue Grimaldi – Monaco
00 377 93 15 26 24

The 81st Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco will be held from Thursday 23 to Sunday 26 May 2024.

There will be plenty of excitement in the Principality as the 8th round of the 2024 Formula 1 World Championship gets underway over the 4 days. The F1 single-seaters won’t be the only ones livening up proceedings on the streets of this legendary track, as the associated series (F2 / F3 / Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup) will also be taking part.

Only a few weeks to go before tickets go on sale. Register now to keep up to date with the latest news and the opening of the Official Ticket Office.

For all information, our staff will be delighted to advise you

• [email protected]
• 00 377 93 15 26 24

It hasn’t gone unnoticed! Esteban Ocon finished 3rd on Sunday at the 80th Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco: a historic podium in the tradition of the key stories in French motorsport in the Principality.

The French tradition is honoured! Since it was first held in 1929, the Monegasque circuit has regularly been the scene of outstanding performances by French drivers and teams. 7 French drivers have won here (René Dreyfus, Guy Moll, Maurice Trintignant, Jean-Pierre Beltoise, Patrick Depailler, Alain Prost and of course Olivier Panis). Although Esteban Ocon has yet to add his name to the legendary list of winners at this event, his performance on Sunday is certainly worthy of note.

Ocon took over from Olivier Panis, surprise winner in 1996 in a Ligier.

As when Olivier won in 1996, Ocon achieved this feat at the wheel of a French car. Especially as the Panis Ligier was powered by a Japanese Mugen-Honda engine. As for the three podium finishes achieved by Renault F1 in Monaco since 1996, it was always with a foreign driver at the wheel: Jarno Trulli (victory in 2004), Fernando Alonso (victory in 2006) and Robert Kubica (3rd in 2010).

“It’s been a long time. I’m speechless. On Thursday, I would have been happy to get into the Top 10, but here we are on the podium. With Alpine, we never stop believing and this weekend I felt strong in the car, confident, I could really get close to the limit, more than ever before in Monaco,” said Esteban in the press conference. He was on cloud nine, he could hardly believe it, and this was only normal.

“My qualifying lap was 90% of the job”

This Monaco Grand Prix, only the 5^th in his F1 career, enabled Ocon to produce a perfect copy from start to finish: 8^th, then 10^th and 9^th in Free Practice, he then put in a tremendous qualifying lap to take provisional pole at the end of Q3, and then the 3^rd place on the grid thanks to Charles Leclerc’s penalty. And he didn’t let up in the race, behind the two untouchables, Max Verstappen and Fernando Alonso, two double World Champions, now also tied as double winners in the Principality.

“My qualifying lap was 90% of the job, and today in the race it was a bit tougher. The rear of my car was damaged when Carlos crashed into me at the harbour chicane, then the rain shuffled everything and, in the end, I was under pressure from Lewis (Hamilton), as is often the case in these conditions. He was quicker than me on the wet section, from Turn 5 to Turn 8, and I was quicker on the dry section”, added the man from Normandy, author of a top-of-the-range performance in ultra-tough conditions, at the wheel of a highly efficient Alpine.

The first podium of many?

“It’s a huge reward, and a change from my previous weekends in Monaco. I’m very surprised, but I have to keep my feet on the ground. I want to thank the Alpine teams at Viry and Enstone. I don’t know if this is a turning point in our season, but I hope it’s the first podium of many. We’ll know more about our car’s potential next week in Barcelona, on a slightly more traditional circuit. We keep on pushing. And respect for Aston Martin, because they’re showing us that it’s possible to go from mid-table team to top team…”.

As with Ferrari, one of the two Alpine drivers was the victim of a failed strategy, stopping too early to change tires, and having to stop just afterwards to take the intermediate tires, because of the rain shower. It was Pierre Gasly, who ended up 7^th when he could have been aiming for 4^th or 5^th place, behind Ocon. Exactly the same mistake made by Ferrari for Carlos Sainz, who started 4^th and finished 8^th. A small detail with huge consequences. Fortunately for Ocon, there was no extra stop with a wrong timing, and his memorable performance with a well-deserved podium finish in the princely box. An historic result, for real.

There was no great surprise at Sunday’s 80th Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco, won by two-time reigning World Champion Max Verstappen from pole position, despite a few drops of rain at the end of the race.

The rain did not disturb the Red Bull team, which has yet to concede anything to its rivals this year, taking six wins from six races, including four one-twos. Verstappen started on medium tires, kept them on for as long as possible and then switched directly to a set of intermediate tires when the rain started over certain portions of the street circuit, around lap 50 (of 78).

“I knew it was going to be a race where management would be important, when I saw that Fernando was starting on hard tires. And I also knew that my first stint on medium tires was likely to last a long time. When it started raining, I spent five laps being very careful with my intermediate tires, I didn’t want to drive too slowly to keep the temperature in my tires, it was very slippery, then I changed some settings on my steering wheel and it was better”.

Alonso, who started on hard tires, made two stops in a row, instead of one. First he changed to medium tires, thinking that the rain wouldn’t last, then he immediately changed strategy, putting on intermediate tires on the following lap, to finish the race without risking a big mistake. Enough for the Spaniard to claim a 5^th podium in 6 races, and one further proof that Aston Martin is becoming a top team.

Verstappen never gave him the slightest chance of turning the race around, either on the track or in the pits. It was his 4^th victory this season, in six Grands Prix, and the 39^th of his F1 career. He had already won in 2021 in the Principality, the year of his first world title.

“I’m very happy,” said Alonso at the press conference, delighted with this 2nd place, which testifies to the British team’s progress. “We had already finished 3rd, and now we’re 2nd, so we’re just one place behind,” added the two-time world champion. “We had to find a different strategy, to try and beat Red Bull, with the risk of finishing 5^th  or 6^th. But we weren’t fast enough in the race, so we couldn’t beat them today”.

The only big surprise of the afternoon was in fact the spotless performance of Esteban Ocon, who finished on the 3^rd step of the podium thanks to a very efficient and reliable Alpine, in tricky conditions. A result that nobody could have predicted last Thursday, on the eve of the first free practice session.

“If we’d been told on Thursday that we’d finish in the Top 10 on Sunday, we’d have been very happy. Now we’re on the podium. We’ll find out next Sunday in Barcelona, on a very different circuit, whether this is a turning point in our season. But I felt good all weekend in the car, and it all came down to qualifying on Saturday. Today was harder. I had to hold off Carlos Sainz, then Lewis Hamilton. We often find ourselves fighting together in these conditions”.

Winner of the Hungarian Grand Prix in 2021, Ocon first had to fend off the onslaught of a very aggressive Carlos Sainz, who was then warned by the race direction for colliding with him at the exit of the tunnel, when braking too late at the harbor chicane. He then held off the two Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell who complete the Top 5, ahead of Charles Leclerc (6^th).

The Monegasque couldn’t do much better than his 6^th place on the grid, three spots further than planned. Because of a late penalty on Saturday evening for impeding Lando Norris at the end of qualifying, in the tunnel.

His team-mate Carlos Sainz has all reason to be far more upset than Leclerc, as he finished 8^th despite starting from 4^th on the grid. His team made him stop too early, when his hard tires were still in very good condition. He was up against Ocon for a long time, was slowed down by Leclerc at one point, and at the end he had to stop again to change for intermediate tires because of the downpour. That was one stop too many.

It was an intense Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco, from the first free practice on Friday, and the sporting logic has once again prevailed. As in previous cycles of domination by Ferrari with Michael Schumacher, Red Bull with Sebastian Vettel, and Mercedes with Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg. The long and exciting Monaco Grand Prix series continues. This was only the 80^th episode…

View the classification

Britain’s Harry King (BWT Lechner Racing) achieved the feat of beating Porsche Supercup king Larry ten Voorde (GP Elite) in Monaco on Sunday. He caught the Dutchman, twice a Supercup champion (2020, 2021), on the first of 17 laps, then watched him in his mirrors all the way to the finish, without making a single mistake.  

This will go down as one of the great performances of the weekend in the Principality. Harry King beat the Porsche Supercup favorite at the 80^th Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco. Larry ten Voorde, last year’s winner, had started from pole position after dominating free practice and qualifying. But he was caught out on the 1^st lap of a race that ended in slow motion under yellow flags.

Behind King and ten Voorde, the 3^rd and last available podium place was taken by another Porsche Supercup raw talent, Dane Bastian Buus. He finished ahead of another Dutchman from Team GP Elite, Loek Hartog (4^th), followed by Frenchman Dorian Boccolacci (CLRT) who could only manage 5^th place, his grid position.

The race marked the start of the 31^st season of the Porsche Supercup, which is always held as a curtain-raiser to the Formula 1 Grand Prix, throughout Europe and occasionally on other continents in exceptional circumstances. The opening race at Imola was cancelled last week due to flooding in Emilia-Romagna. The next one is scheduled on the menu of the Austrian Grand Prix, at the end of June.

View the results

Starting from pole position, Denmark’s Frederik Vesti (Prema Racing) led from start to finish on Sunday morning in the Formula 2 Feature Race of the 80th Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco, ahead of France’s Théo Pourchaire (ART GP), winner of this race in 2021.

Vesti got off to a good start and wasn’t troubled by Victor Martins and Théo Pourchaire at the first corner, Sainte-Dévote. He continued to set a very good pace until the first major incident of the race, when Jack Doohan (Invicta Virtuosi), son of the former MotoGP world champion, lost control as he reached the Place du Casino.

His single-seater, which had already hit the rail at the Bureau de Tabac, went sideways at the top of the Casino climb and came to a halt on the rope, in a very dangerous position. It even started to catch fire, but within seconds marshals were on hand to extinguish the blaze with carbon dioxide foam.

When Martins arrived on the spot a few seconds later, he narrowly avoided the Australian’s single-seater. But he didn’t slow down enough under the yellow flags and was penalized a little later, dropping from 2nd to 8th place. The red flag was waved and everyone quietly returned to the pits to wait for the track to be cleared.
The race was restarted for a dozen laps, as the 60-minute time limit was about to be reached due to this interruption. In the end, the race lasted only 39 laps instead of 42, and Vesti made no mistakes until the end, to claim his 2nd win this season, after the Feature Race in Jeddah in March, and become the new leader of the championship.

Behind Vesti and Pourchaire, 3rd place on the podium was taken by Zane Maloney (Rodin Carlin), another highly talented 19-year-old from Barbados (British West Indies), ahead of Dutchman Richard Verschoor (Van Amersfoort).

Another Frenchman, Isack Hadjar (HiTech), was forced to retire from the lead on Saturday due to an engine problem. He finished 12th in this main race, well ahead of Clément Novalak (Trident) in 17th place.

Finally, the only Monegasque entered, Arthur Leclerc (DAMS), who started from the back of the grid, was forced to retire a third of the way through the race, when his brakes failed.

In the championship, Pourchaire limited damage and now stands 2nd in the standings, close to new leader Vesti and ahead of Ayumu Iwasa, the winner of Saturday’s Sprint Race. Next meeting in Barcelona, next week.

View the results

Sunday’s 80th Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco got off to a flying start with the Formula 3 Feature Race, which ended with a predictable victory for Italian Gabriele Mini (HiTech), a promising member of the Alpine Drivers Academy.

Starting from pole position, Mini managed to keep Sweden’s Dino Beganovic (Prema Racing), next to him on the 1st row, behind him until the end of the 27th and final lap. The podium was completed by Estonian Paul Aron, another Prema driver, after a fine duel with Britain’s Luke Browning (HiTech).

There were a few yellow flags in this uneventful race for Mini and its closest pursuers, such as when Israel’s Ido Cohen (Rodin Carlin) crashed out at Bureau de Tabac, slamming violently into the safety rail.

As for Sebastian Montoya, son of Juan Pablo, winner at Monaco just twenty years ago, his race was ended by a damaged front wing as he tried to overtake Brazilian Caio Collet on the Casino climb. In a matter of minutes, he plummeted from 6th to 28th place.

The places of honour were taken by Briton Taylor Barnard (Jenzer Motorsport), 5th despite a five-second penalty, ahead of Brazilian Gabriel Bortoleto (Trident), who stays in the lead of the championship. Thanks to a very wise race, without taking the slightest risk, rewarded by a 6th place under the chequered flag, and several precious points.

Mini and Beganovic, who finished 7 tenths behind the winner, jump up the overall standings, getting closer to Bortoleto. The next meeting for the young wolves of F3 takes place next week in Barcelona.

View the results