2022 FORMULA 1 MONACO GRAND PRIX PREVIEW

Drivers Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso and Team Principal Otmar Szafnauer share their thoughts on the seventh race of the season in Monte Carlo.

Otmar Szafnauer: "Firstly, what an exciting race we had in Spain throughout the entire field. It was good fun with the multiple stops and overtaking, so I’m sure it was a great spectacle for all fans of Formula 1. From our point of view, considering our starting positions after a tough Saturday, we left Spain pleasantly pleased with our points collection. We’re all looking forward to going to Monaco. It’s an incredibly special place and a very historic and important racetrack for Formula 1, where we all enjoy racing. Clearly, with the nature of the close walls and tight corners, it’s a tricky place for overtaking on race day. We need to ensure our one-lap pace is good, which, in general, it has been, apart from the anomaly in Spain where we were not as quick on Saturday as we were on Friday."

Esteban Ocon: "Monaco is a special track in many respects: the average speed is the lowest of the year and the corners are so tight that power is not as important as other tracks. You need some good stability under braking and a solid engine that responds well out of the corners. And as we all know, grid position in Monaco is crucial so a better performance than in Barcelona in Qualifying from us will be important. P9 there last year so just inside the points but we’ll of course be wanting to improve on that result and make sure we have a smoother weekend from start to finish."

Fernando Alonso: "I’ve always enjoyed racing in Monaco. It’s one of the biggest spectacles on the Formula 1 calendar. I think with this year’s cars it’s going to be even more challenging than normal, with all of the slow speed corners. As we know, one small mistake around the streets of Monaco and you end up in the barriers. Qualifying is also very difficult given the traffic you encounter on a lap. I’m looking forward to the challenge!"

2022 Monaco Grand Prix Factfile:

The Circuit

• Circuit length of 3.337km
• Race distance of 260.286km. This is the shortest distance on the calendar
• Top average speed in 2021 was 157.833kmh (98.072mph), the lowest average speed on the calendar.
• Highest speed of 290.8kmh (180.69mph).
• The Fairmont hairpin is the slowest corner in all of Formula 1.
• One of only three tracks in the history of the sport to feature a tunnel. Cars can lose between 20-30% of their downforce due the unique aerodynamic properties of the tunnel.

Driver and Team facts

• Renault-powered cars have achieved 14 pole positions, eight fastest laps, 24 podiums, seven wins and 449 points from 154 starts at the Monaco Grand Prix.
• Fernando Alonso is the only active Formula 1 driver who has completed two thirds of the fabled motorsport triple crown. Fernando won the Monaco Grand Prix with Renault in 2006 and has two Le Mans 24 hours titles’ to his name.
• Esteban Ocon’s best result in Monaco is P6 in 2018. Esteban also finished inside the points in 2021.
• Should he start Sunday’s race, Esteban Ocon will move into the top ten of most starts for a French driver in Formula 1 (96).
• Fernando has two previous wins in Monaco which is only bettered by Lewis Hamilton of the current drivers on the grid.
• Fernando can overtake Graham Hill as the driver to have completed the most racing laps at the Monaco Grand Prix. Fernando has raced 1,198 laps so far at the circuit and will beat the record if he completes 14 laps.