Everything you need to know about the Monaco Grand Prix

As Formula One gears up for round eight this weekend in Monaco — the ‘jewel’ on the F1 calendar — ESPN breaks down everything you need to know about the weekend’s grand prix.

Can Monégasque Charles Leclerc lift the ‘curse’?

Would a different format for the Monaco Grand Prix be more appealing for fans? Lewis Hamilton has proposed the idea.

Can Max Verstappen go one better and break Ayrton Senna’s qualifying record with a ninth pole position in succession? At last week’s Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix Verstappen matched the record with eight since Abu Dhabi in 2023.

Could Verstappen win the championship in a different car? Listen to ESPN’s F1 podcast Unlapped. Plus Monaco GP preview.

Where is the best place in Monaco to watch the iconic grand prix? Laurence Edmondson went to find out.

Plus, McLaren has unveiled the green, yellow and blue livery it will run this weekend as a tribute to Ayrton Senna 30 years after he died in May, 1994.

Circuit stats

Ayrton Senna has the record for most pole positions at Monaco (five), and race wins (six). Of the current F1 grid, Daniel Ricciardo (2018), Sergio Perez (2022), Lewis Hamilton (2008, 2016, 2019) and championship leader Max Verstappen (2021, 2023) have all won here previously.

Distance: 3.337km

Laps: 78

Overtakes completed in 2023: 36

Lap record: 1:12.909, Lewis Hamilton (2021).

This year is the 70th edition of the iconic race. The first was in 1950, and since 1955, the grand prix has never been off the F1 calendar for any reason other than the coronavirus pandemic in 2020.

play

Why Monaco’s GP qualifying is ‘more exciting’ than the race

Laurence Edmondson explains why the qualifying session for the Monaco Grand Prix will be more entertaining than the race.

How to watch the GP?

(U.S. only): Sunday 7:30 a.m. ET on ESPNEWS and ESPN+.

Live broadcast coverage in the U.K. is on Sky Sports F1, and BBC Radio 5 live, with Sunday’s highlights on Channel 4.

For news, analysis and updates, follow the coverage with ESPN’s F1 team Nate Saunders and Laurence Edmondson in Monaco.

Friday, May 24

Free practice 1 – 12:30-13:30 BST / 13:30-14:30 CEST.

Free practice 2 – 16:00-17:00 BST / 17:00-18:00 CEST.

Saturday, May 25

Final practice – 11:30-12:30 BST / 12:30-13:30 CEST.

Qualifying – 15:00-16:00 BST / 16:00-17:00 CEST.

Sunday, May 26

Race starts – 14:00 BST / 15:00 CEST.

What happened last…