Two weeks before this year’s Formula 1 cars process around Monaco, comes a reminder of the glamour and excitement of the past as Monaco’s Historic Grand Prix turns back the clock to an age of smaller, louder and less sophisticated machines.
This weekend, the full-length Monte Carlo street circuit plays host to a field of historic grand prix machinery, dating from pre-war machines to the shouty V12 engines of the early 1980s. Each will be piloted by a mix of motor sport enthusiasts and collectors as well as F1 legends of the past and present. All of the comoetitive sessions on Saturday and Sunday will be streamed live at the top of this page.
In its 14th running, the Historic Monaco Grand Prix will feature a action-packed schedule filled with cars across eight different race categories — each named after a Monte Carlo racing hero — and will celebrate 100 years since the launch of the Bugatti 35, which won the first two Monaco Grands Prix in 1929 and 1930.
Following a familiar race weekend format, each class will participate in practice sessions on Friday, followed by qualifying on Saturday and races on Sunday which will last between 10-18 laps or 30-45 minutes.
Whether you’re watching harbourside, or via the live stream, here’s your guide to what promises to be one of the greatest weekends of racing this year — of any era.
Find everything you need to know about the Historic Monaco Grand Prix here:
Red Bull‘s chief technology officer Adrian Newey will take a step away from the F1 spotlight to run his very own Lotus 49B from 1969 around the streets of Monte Carlo.
He purchased the R8 chassis back in 2014, and when the Briton isn’t designing world title-winning grand prix cars, he often pilots his small piece of F1 history at classic car events. Although the Lotus 49B is considered among the greatest F1 cars ever made — having carried Graham Hill to championship success in 1968 — Newey’s R8 chassis only entered four grands prix, beginning in 1969, and earned no silverware of its own. Nevertheless, it will be interesting to see Red Bull’s outgoing genius behind the wheel.
Fancy watching F1 in its golden era, when Niki Lauda stormed to an unlikely victory at the 1982 British Grand Prix at the wheel of a McLaren MP4-1B? Or when Elio de Angelis won in pouring rain at the Österreichring behind the wheel of a Lotus 91? Well you’re in luck, as both cars will be raced head-to-head in this year’s historic race weekend in Monaco, alongside a Gordon Murray designed Brabham BT49D and the banished Lotus 88.
The category also boasts a star-studded line-up of drivers, with IndyCar legend Dario Franchitti set to line-up against Kenneth Tyrrell (son of Ken) and renowned historic car driver Nick Padmore.
Although this year’s celebrations will focus primarily around the 100-year anniversary of the Bugatti 35 — launched in 1924 — the Automobile Club de Monaco will also be paying tribute to other motoring achievements which celebrate historic milestones in 2024.
The event will mark 90 years since the launch of the Mercedes W25 — a car which would win successive Monaco GPs in 1935, ‘36 and ‘37 — and 70 years since the W196 was driven to F1 title victory by Juan Manuel Fangio. The 1964 world title of John Surtees will also be commemorated, as will the short-lived heritage of the Hesketh F1 team which entered the series for the first time in 1974.
Finally, the spotlight will also shine on the immortal talent of Ayrton Senna, as the young Brazilian took a shock podium at the principality in 1984 behind the wheel of an underperforming Toleman amid torrential downpours.
The weekend runs from Friday May 10 to Sunday May 12. Practice starts at 11am (BST) on Friday, with qualifying on Saturday from 8.15am. The races take place on Sunday from 8am.
You can watch coverage of Saturday qualifying and Sunday’s races on the Motor Sport website, via the live stream from the race organiser, the Automobile Club de Monaco.
Tickets are still available in most of the grandstands for all three days.
Saturday’s qualifying tickets start at £51.40, while Sunday’s race day tickets start at £98.52. But if you’re planning to visit the circuit on both days you can buy a two-day ticket, which allows access into a singular grand stand for just £119.
Under-16s go free but still need to purchase a ticket.
| Time | Race Category |
| 11am | A2 — Front-engine Grand Prix cars built before 1961 |
| 11.50am | A1 — Prewar Grand Prix Cars and Voiturettes |
| 12.40pm | B – Rear-engine, 1500, F1 Grand Prix Cars (1961 – 1965) and F2 (1956 – 1960) |
| 2.30pm | D – F1 Grand Prix cars 3L (1966 – 1972) |
| 3.20pm | E – F1 Grand Prix cars 3L (1973 – 1976) |
| 4.10pm | C – Sports Racing cars – front engine (1952 – 1957) |
| 5pm | F – F1 Grand Prix cars 3L (1977 – 1980) |
| 5.50pm | G – F1 Grand Prix cars 3L (1981 – 1985) |
| Time | Race Category |
| 8.15am | A2 — Front-engine Grand Prix cars built before 1961 |
| 9.05am | A1 — Prewar Grand Prix Cars and Voiturettes |
| 9.55am | B – Rear-engine, 1500, F1 Grand Prix Cars (1961 – 1965) and F2 (1956 – 1960) |
| 10.45am | D – F1 Grand Prix cars 3L (1966 – 1972) |
| 11.35am | E – F1 Grand Prix cars 3L (1973 – 1976) |
| 2.30pm | C – Sports Racing cars – front engine (1952 – 1957) |
| 3.20pm | F – F1 Grand Prix cars 3L (1977 – 1980) |
| 4.10pm | G – F1 Grand Prix cars 3L (1981 – 1985) |
| Time | Race category | Race distance |
| 8am | A2 – Front-engine Grand Prix cars built before 1961 | 10 laps or 30 minutes |
| 9.05am | A1 – Prewar Grand Prix Cars and Voiturettes | 10 laps or 30 minutes |
| 10.10am | B – Rear-engine, 1500, F1 Grand Prix Cars (1961 – 1965) and F2 (1956 – 1960) | 10 laps or 30 minutes |
| 11.15am | D – F1 Grand Prix cars 3L (1966 – 1972) | 12 laps or 35 minutes |
| 12.25pm | E – F1 Grand Prix cars 3L (1973 – 1976) | 18 laps or 45 minutes |
| 2.30pm | C – Sports Racing cars – front engine (1952 – 1957) | 10 laps or 30 minutes |
| 3.35pm | F – F1 Grand Prix cars 3L (1977 – 1980) | 18 laps or 45 minutes |
| 4.55pm | G – F1 Grand Prix cars 3L (1981 – 1985) | 18 laps or 45 minutes |
Maseratis will be joined by Bugatti’s on the pre-war grid
Notable entries:
Wolfgang Von Trips pilots at Ferrari 246 Dino around the streets of Monaco in 1960. 64 years later, it will roar again in the very same spot
Getty Images
Notable entries:
Rear-engined grand prix legends at the 2022 Historic Monaco Grand Prix
Getty Images
Notable entries:
A gorgeous sportscar paddock awaits in Monaco
Notable entries:
Jordan Grogor leads the F1 1966-72 pack in the Matra MS120C in 2022
ACM
Notable entries:
Jean Alesi in Ferrari 312B3 in 2021
Getty Images
Notable entries:
The Lotus 78 will roar again around the streets of Monaco in 2024
Notable entries:
The McLaren MP4/1 – a revolutionary design which will be celebrated again on the streets of Monte Carlo
DPPI
Notable entries:
As if the streets of Monte Carlo weren’t memorable enough through the eyes of petrol-heads around the globe, the Historic Monaco Grand Prix seems to find a way of creating its own moments of mayhem and intrigue.
From controversial crashes to white-knuckle on-boards, here are some of the best moments from Monaco’s historic events of the past:
Former F1 and Ferrari driver Jean Alesi had been re-living his glory years behind the wheel of Niki Lauda’s very own Ferrari in 2021 before it all came to a crushing halt.
The Frenchman had been defending the lead of the race against Marco Werner’s Lotus 87, before the latter made contact with the Ferrari’s left-rear tyre and sent it careering into a wall on the main pit-straight.
Alesi was rightly furious after the race, as probably were the mechanics who were soon tasked with putting the priceless piece of automotive history back together again…
Charles Leclerc’s general misfortune behind the wheel of a race car is well-documented, but it arguably reached new heights when he crashed Niki Lauda’s 1974 Ferrari at the 2022 Historic Monaco Grand Prix.
Entering La Rascasse, the Monegasque driver seemed to lose all grip in the rear end and spun into a nearby barrier — breaking the Ferrari’s rear wing on impact.
The accident was later blamed on a brake failure entering the corner, which ultimately saved Leclerc’s blushes — although just two weeks later, he’d fall from pole position to fourth at his home grand prix after a strategy error.
Ever wondered what it’s like to drive a multi-million pound piece of motor sport history? Look no further.
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