Monaco Classic Grand Prix: Vintage Racing, Tunnels & a Close Call

Dave

Daves Faves, South of France Road Trip

10th February 2026

7 minutes

Thankfully, the drive in was smooth and stress-free. It’s a route we’ve done many times before, but this time it felt particularly good heading into Monaco in my own rear-engined sports car.

The approach roads are full of tunnels — which, naturally, meant giving the 911 a little bit of encouragement. Hearing the flat-six echoing off tunnel walls never fails to raise a smile. Immature? Absolutely. Enjoyable? Every single time.

Parking and First Impressions

Expecting the city to be busy, we opted to park at Parking des Salines on the outskirts of the Principality. To our surprise, it was almost empty. The cost for secure, all-day parking was no more than an hour at Heathrow Airport.

In hindsight, we should probably have driven further in and parked closer to the circuit. While the walk down was absolutely fine, once the circuit reopened as public roads later in the day, we realised we’d missed the chance to drive our own car around the Monaco Grand Prix circuit.

I do slightly regret that. Joining a procession of Ferraris, Lamborghinis and other exotica in my relatively modest Porsche would still have been a tick off the ever-growing bucket list. Oh well — I suppose that’s just an excuse to come back again.

That said, for a day of sightseeing and walking, Parking des Salines is spot on.

Grandstands, Value and Atmosphere

We made our way down to the circuit and took our seats in the grandstand directly opposite the pit lane. Tickets were incredibly reasonable — around £20 — which feels almost absurd when you consider that similar seats for the Formula One Grand Prix would easily run into the hundreds.

Overall, it was a relaxed day. The stands weren’t packed, meaning we could move seats freely to escape the midday sun — something I was particularly grateful for despite remembering to bring a hat.

The racing began around 10am with pre-war Grand Prix cars, followed by pre-1961 Formula One machinery, the same era of cars that once raced at places like Circuit de Gueux, which we’d visited just days earlier.

Our position didn’t offer a lot of close racing or overtaking, but what it did give us was the full sensory experience: watching the cars exit the corner, open up, and disappear down the straight while the sound and vibration hit you square in the chest.

Sports Cars, Lunch and the Harbour

Next up was the 1952–1957 Sports Racing Car class — fantastic open-top machines from Maserati, Bugatti, Lotus and Ferrari, many of which looked like they belonged in a Wacky Races cartoon.

During the lunch break we headed up into Monaco itself, grabbed food and a drink on the Rock at one of the more reasonably priced cafés, and had a wander around the harbour by the swimming pool complex, admiring the superyachts before grabbing an ice cream and heading back.

The Cars We Grew Up With

The afternoon sessions were the ones we’d been most looking forward to — the 1970s and 1980s Formula One cars. These were the machines we remembered from childhood, from Sunday afternoons watching Formula One on BBC One.

Cars driven by the likes of Nigel Mansell, Ayrton Senna, Niki Lauda and Jackie Stewart brought the circuit alive in a completely different way.

There was one car in particular I was desperate to see. The Formula One car I had as a model on my bedroom shelf. The reason I now own a black and gold Porsche 911, and a black and gold BMX.

Introduced in 1970, the Lotus 72 was revolutionary. With its wedge shape, side-mounted radiators and inboard brakes, it completely changed Formula One design. In its iconic John Player Special black and gold livery, it became one of the most recognisable racing cars of all time.

The Lotus 72 won 20 Grands Prix and secured both Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships, driven by legends including Emerson Fittipaldi and Jochen Rindt. Even today, it looks impossibly elegant, a perfect blend of aggression and style.

A Sudden (and Unplanned) Interruption

Unfortunately, the next memorable moment wasn’t planned.

As the temperature rose, we headed down the steep steps of the grandstand to grab a drink. I missed a step and went flying, tumbling down around twenty steps before coming to rest head-first in the seating below.

I was battered and bruised, but incredibly lucky. No serious injury, and my straw hat probably saved me from a much worse head knock. Slightly embarrassing given I was stone-cold sober, I think the sun had simply caught up with me.

No medical intervention was needed, which was probably just as well as a trip to Monte Carlo A&E sounds both interesting and extremely expensive.

Calling It a Day

We returned to our seats and watched more of the 1980s cars take to the circuit, but after a later crash delayed proceedings and feeling a little worse for wear, we decided to call it a day.

That meant missing later sessions featuring cars from the Damon Hill and Michael Schumacher era, but sometimes it’s better to leave on a high rather than push your luck.

I’ve taken quite a few close-up photographs and videos of the cars on track, and rather than overload this already long post, I’ve put them together in a separate gallery post which you can find linked here.

The drive back to the park was nice and easy, the traffic wasn’t heavy so we just chilled as we headed back, that was until a Ferrari in wanted to play games. Needless to say he probably had a great view of the little 911 trying to keep up with him.

Back to Saint-Raphaël

We were back at the park by around 7pm, where a very good pizza and a couple of beers rounded the day off nicely. Later, we sat outside enjoying the cooler evening air and the hot tub.

Apart from the minor tumble, the Monaco Classic Grand Prix turned out to be a fantastic way to experience racing on the streets of Monaco without Formula One prices.

Monaco has a reputation for being eye-wateringly expensive, but it really doesn’t have to be. Avoid the casino and Café de Paris, head up onto the Rock, and you can enjoy a full day there without spending a fortune — even if you’re just there to walk, look, and soak it all in.