F1 News, Reports and Race Results

Monaco Speed Trap: Who is the fastest of them all?

As a high-downforce venue, Monaco's legendary track puts very little premium on top speed, which isn't to say that the latter is negligible.

The street circuit's 'Nouvelle Chicane' is arguably the only real spot where a driver is offered a reasonable opportunity of overtaking a rival. So velocity through the tunnel and beyond is important to pull off the always bold feat.

In 2019, Charles Leclerc clocked through the speed trap located just before the braking zone for the 'Nouvelle Chicane' at a whopping 325 km/h.

But this year, F1's new aero rules have significantly reduced every one's momentum through Monaco's tunnel as the speed trap numbers show.

However, there's little to read into the numbers in terms of relative performance between the teams, but McLaren's Daniel Ricciardo, who qualified P12, nevertheless recorded a top speed of 287.6 km/h in qualifying.

But the velocity spread between fastest and slowest was just over 7 km/h, which perhaps implies that overtaking opportunities at the 'Nouvelle Chicane' will be few and far between, potentially leaving fans with a Sunday afternoon snooze fest.

But then again, it's Monaco baby! Where anything goes…

Gallery: The beautiful wives and girlfriends of F1 drivers

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

Michael Delaney

Recent Posts

Doohan in limbo as Super Formula lifeline collapses

Jack Doohan’s bid to rebuild his single-seater career in Japan this year has hit a…

2 hours ago

Krack hails ‘emotional and exciting’ Aston Martin AMR26 debut

In the late-afternoon glow of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Aston Martin celebrated more than just…

3 hours ago

Remembering McLaren co-founder Teddy Mayer

Legendary Formula 1 team boss Teddy Mayer passed away on this day in 2009 at…

5 hours ago

Stefano Domenicali lights the way to Milano Cortina 2026

This week, Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali traded the sport’s paddock for a snow-dusted jog,…

6 hours ago

Leclerc slowly embracing ‘super interesting’ side of F1’s new cars

When Charles Leclerc first grappled with the early digital ghosts of the Ferrari SF-26 in…

7 hours ago

McLaren forced to ‘strip down’ MCL40 to chase fuel fault

After Lando Norris debuted McLaren’s new car on Wednesday in Barcelona, the baton was passed…

8 hours ago