Detour #32: Monaco Grand Prix Circuit
Monaco. It’s the most evocative circuit on the Grand Prix calendar. Where beautiful people and fat wallets cling together to the Mediterranean cliffside in the sunshine. Where 200mph racing machines barely reach half their potential as they tiptoe through the streets, inches away from incident or accident.
And it’s also the most accessible Formula One circuit, open to the public every day (except for the weekends of the Grand Prix and Historic Grand Prix or Formula E race).
No petrolhead visit to the Cote D’Azure can be complete without at least one lap of the circuit. I’ve only been twice, in two quite different cars, both of which attracted the attention of tourists and locals alike. And neither of which was going to set any lap records.
First came a Dodge Viper – the truck that became a sports car with its V10 engine, roaring sidepipes and whatever the opposite of a Tardis is when it comes to dimensions. The Viper was massive on the outside yet cramped inside and smelled like a TVR (that strange urine-like whiff of resin). But it certainly turned heads, even if it struggled to turn the tightest corners. Through the infamous tunnel I dropped down to first, just to hear the sidepipes reverberate. But in the stop-start summer traffic the heavy clutch and monstrous size of the Viper meant the rest of the lap was one to forget.
Next up was my 1971 VW Westfalia camper. As we trundled along, waving and posing for photos, what was most obvious was the change in elevation of the circuit. The TV just doesn’t convey how steep the climb up to Beau Rivage is, but when you’ve got a fully-loaded van and barely 60bhp you feel it. Similarly the descent to Mirabeau and beyond into the hairpin is a severe drop that sent crockery flying.
I’ll be honest, as a drive the Monaco Grand Prix Circuit sucks (unless you’re racing), but as an experience it can’t be beaten. Almost every inch of the circuit has a story to tell from Portier where Senna threw away his lead to the harbour where Ascari went swimming. Then there’s the casino, the yachts, the sun gods and goddesses and the supercars to stare at.
So who really cares if you never top 20mph?
Words Nik Berg Twitter | Instagram
Photography Andreas Dress / Mark De Jong / Rhiannon Elliott / Kit Suman/ Unsplash
ROADBOOK
Class: Street circuit
Name: Monte Carlo
Route: Around the houses
Country: Monaco
Distance: 2.1 miles