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F1 legends explain magic of Monaco
"The jewel in the crown of F1"
Monaco GP is held on May 29
It’s a race like no other.
“Any driver in the world would say: ‘This is the jewel in the crown,” three-time Monaco Grand Prix winner Stirling Moss told CNN’s The Circuit ahead of the 2016 race.
Steeped in history and set against a picture-perfect backdrop of the C?te d’Azur, the narrow track, coupled with a baying crowd almost on top of the drivers, provides a very different challenge to any other circuit on the Formula One calender.
“It’s always a magic place,” says Alain Prost, a four-time winner at the historic track. “With the casino and the Hotel de Paris where you get close to the spectators and it’s very nice for the driver.”
The principality’s first appearance on the F1 calender came in 1950, when Argentine racing legend Juan Manuel Fangio won the first of his two Monaco Grands Prix.
Ayrton Senna holds the record number of wins with six, while Michael Schumacher and Graham Hill boast five wins apiece.
“The history, the track itself, the atmosphere – it’s the highlight of the Formula One season,” says current F1 leader Nico Rosberg, who has taken the checkered flag at the last three Monaco races. “It’s spectacular.”
The first practice session for the 2016 Monaco Grand Prix begins on Thursday May 26, with the race taking place on Sunday 29.