Five Things to Know About the Monaco GP

Williams Racing is in Monaco for the eighth round of the 2024 Formula 1 season.

Taking place on the picturesque front of the French Riviera in Monte Carlo, this race is considered by many the ‘Crown Jewel’ of the F1 calendar due to its storied history.

The iconic Circuit de Monaco is known for its tight corners that leave drivers millimetres of space away from potential race-ending barriers and little room for overtaking.

Here are five things to check for in Monte Carlo.

Qualifying at Monaco plays a bigger role than any other race in the F1 season.

Due to its narrow racing and lack of room to overtake, Saturday is more important than ever in securing a strong starting point on the grid.

This results in plenty of drama in the qualifying session, as teams meticulously plan to give their drivers the cleanest possible runs at the perfect time to establish a good benchmark.

Still, ensuring a place in and around the points can prove decisive, so make sure to tune into the session or read all the action with us here on the Williams Racing page.

For many, Monaco is a particularly special place to race and even more so for Alex.

Our No 23 calls the principality home, meaning he has a very short commute to work this weekend.

He will, for the first time this season, sleep in his own bed before race day — a rare occurrence in the world of an F1 driver.

Albono, along with several others on the grid, have made this location their base, so if you are in the area, be on the lookout.

This twisty, tight track always has the prospect of a safety car looming over drivers on race day.

Monaco holds the record for the fewest drivers to complete a race in the modern F1 era, with just three cars taking the chequered flag in 1996.

Across the last nine visits to Monaco, the virtual or regular Safety Car has appeared in seven of the races, with wet weather often playing a role in its entrance.

While we haven’t had a wet track after the opening seven rounds of this season, with the weather in Europe forecast to cool down, rain may well feature this weekend.

Even if the sun does stay out, the little margin for error could see Bernd Mayländer take to the tarmac at the 2024 Monaco Grand Prix.

At 3.337km long, the Circuit de Monaco is the shortest track on the F1 calendar.

Despite its 78-laps, the race distance only totals just over 260km, a shortfall of the 305km minimum which rules established in 1989, making Monaco the only exception.

Importantly, this also affects strategy. A one-stop route often proves the most popular due to a lack of tyre degradation, leaving teams a wide window to pit.

So, the strategy teams opt for on the day will be crucial.

Another exciting feature of the Monaco Grand Prix is the opportunity to catch some future talent in action in the fourth round of Formula 2 and Formula 3.

F3 made its Monte Carlo debut in its current form in 2023 for the first time since GP3 — a series of similar ilk — took its drivers to the principality in 2012.

The Williams Racing Academy has three drivers competing in the respective competitions: Zak O'Sullivan and Franco Colapinto in F2, while Luke Browning races on the F3 circuit.

It will be the last chance to see this trio in action ‘til Spain in one month's time.