Everything you need to know about the Monaco Grand Prix

The glitz, glamour, and grandeur of Formula One will be on display this weekend as Williams Racing head to the idyllic principality of Monaco for the 79th Monaco Grand Prix.

"The jewel in the crown" is one of the most famous events on the motorsport calendar with its tight and twisty track that wouldn't get past the drawing board if designed today.

The Circuit de Monaco is by far the shortest track that F1 visits each year, coming in at 3.337km, some 922m shorter than the nearest rival for that title, Zandvoort.

The easily recognisable Turn 6, otherwise known as the Fairmont Hairpin, is the slowest corner on the entire F1 calendar as drivers inch around it at around 30mph.

Shortly after the iconic hairpin comes another section unique in F1 as the cars race full-throttle through the imaginatively named Tunnel corner – the only stretch of road in the sport that goes through, you guessed it, a tunnel.

The Swimming Pool (Piscine) chicane is so-called because it goes around an actual swimming pool that the principality built in 1972. Until the 1973 Grand Prix, there was a direct run from Tabac until the final corner.

Monaco's uniqueness continues as it is the only event on the F1 calendar that doesn't run to the standard 305km+1 lap Grand Prix distance. The narrow streets, tight corners, and limited time for drivers to go to full throttle instead see its 78 laps cover a little over 260km before the chequered flag falls.

It's been three years since Alex Albon last sampled the delights of Monaco, and he cannot wait to jump back in. It was P8 and points for Toro Rosso last time for Albono in 2019, and he's hopeful for more points this year:

"Monaco is one of the biggest races of the year. It's a really cool circuit and I live about a three-minute walk from the paddock, so it's an easy morning commute for me.

"The track itself is a proper street circuit with a great atmosphere which means it's always special.

"We'll be pushing hard and hoping to finish off the double header well."

Nicholas Latifi is also looking forward to the challenge ahead after making his Monaco debut last year, with the Monte Carlo round getting cancelled in his rookie 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic:

"It's always exciting to go back to Monaco. It's a track with so much history and has such a special feeling, more so than any other street circuit we race at.

"It'll be my second year racing there in a Formula One car, and I'm expecting it to be more of a challenge in these new regulation cars.

"I'm looking forward to that challenge though, so hopefully we'll have a good weekend."

Although Monaco is challenging for the drivers, it's no simple task for the team, either, as Dave Robson, our Head of Vehicle Performance, explains:

“Monaco is always a challenging circuit that requires a specific approach to setup and car management. With the new 2022 cars, this is going to be an even greater challenge as it will be necessary to move the car away from the aerodynamic optimum in order to be able to deal with the bumps and kerbs of the Monte Carlo streets.

“Apart from some additional brake cooling and steering options, we have no test items or upgrades for this event and so we will be free to spend the practice sessions exploring the car setup and helping the drivers to get maximum confidence in the car.

“The tyres are the softest of the Pirelli range, including the C5 compound, which we last used in Melbourne. This very soft compound worked well at Albert Park and so it may require a different approach to get it into the best window in Monaco.

“Although normally warm and dry, there is always a risk that the cloud cover on the mountains can quickly move over the circuit, completely changing the character of the track. We will need to be mindful of this and look to capitalise on it if it happens.”

The famed race represents one-third of what is known as motorsport's Triple Crown – the most prestigious three races on four wheels. The other two events are the Indy 500 and the 24hrs of Le Mans; only Graham Hill has won all three.

Last year Williams Racing celebrated their 750th Grand Prix weekend at Monaco and ran a one-off livery with the names of 100 of our fans on the FW43 in celebration.

Something new for this year is a move for the race weekend to cover Friday to Sunday as every other Grand Prix does, after the traditional Monaco Thursday practice sessions have moved over to Friday.

Williams last won Monaco in 2003 when Juan Pablo Montoya guided his FW25 to clinch his second part of the triple crown after taking an Indianapolis 500 win in 2000. Although he did win Le Mans in 2021, it was in the LMP2 category, and Juan was not the overall winner.

Monaco is the most-visited track in Formula One history, second only to Monza. The Circuit de Monaco held a Grand Prix in the inaugural 1950 season before returning in 1955 and hosting an F1 race every year aside from a pandemic-induced year off in 2020.