An audience of 6,500 local spectators and small gatherings on terraces and yachts will be allowed for this weekend’s E-Prix. But what will the competition look like?
La Rascasse, the Grand Hotel Hairpin and Casino Square are all part of the Monaco Grand Prix vernacular, conjuring images of legendary races made of this legendary course. Today, motorsport fans have even more to love, with the fairly recent addition of the Monaco E-Prix, the all-electric car race that is welcoming its fourth edition this weekend.
Twenty-four top-notch e-car pilots will be taking to the streets of Monaco on Saturday 8^th May, and for the first time ever, they will be following the full 3.3-kilometre course as their petrol-fuelled brethren.
Dutchman Nick de Vries currently sits at the top of the E-Prix standings, followed by Belgian Stoffel Vandoorne and Britain’s Sam Bird. At the previous Monaco E-Prix, Frenchman Jean-Eric Vergne took the top spot, and this year, with the new track, it is anyone’s to win.
Monaco resident and E-Prix driver Lucas DiGrassi said it best when speaking to automobilsport.com, declaring, “Monaco is made for Formula E.”
“For me, it’s the race that I am looking forward to the most,” said DiGrassi. “With the long version of the circuit, we now drive past all of the iconic places. It will be a great experience for us as racing drivers and the scenes will also be fantastic for all of the spectators watching on TV. To race near my home, where I go jogging or shopping every day, is very special.”
This year’s event will be slightly different in the way it is run, wholly due to the ongoing health crisis, but organisers are confident the excitement will still be palpable.
The event will follow the same guidelines set out by the government for the recent Historic Grand Prix: a grandstand maximum capacity of 6,500 seated spectators, with attendance limited to local residents, students, workers and clients of Monaco’s hotels, as well as to those who have received direct invitations from the Automobile Club of Monaco. Tickets are free and can be purchased at ticket offices on the Promenade Honoré II as well as the Tourism Office on Boulevard des Moulins.
Unlike the Historic GP, small gatherings will be allowed on terraces and yachts for the E-Prix. There is a limit of one person per square metre on land, and a maximum of 12 people on boats.