Ahead of the 2026 F1 Monaco GP, Williams Team Principal James Vowles shared his insights into what makes racing at the Circuit de Monaco unique and how the team has been preparing for the weekend.
Williams enters the 2026 F1 Monaco GP P8 in the Constructors’ Championship with 7 points to its name. The team will be looking to redeem itself after a challenging weekend in Montreal.
Vowles on his ‘love-hate relationship’ with the Circuit de Monaco
The Monaco GP remains one of the most iconic events on the 2026 F1 calendar. Vowles revealed that he is excited to approach the historical Circuit de Monaco but admits it has its significant challenges.
The Briton shared what he enjoyed about watching the Monaco GP and highlighted the precision drivers need to navigate the tight sections around the track.
“Monaco, I have a love-hate relationship with this circuit. It is so unique in how it is. So let’s start with the real positives. First of all, it’s exceptional watching the drivers just get up to speed at the track and then by qualifying absolutely delivering perfect laps. And I really do mean millimetre perfect. If you stand just on top of what we call the swing-pull sections, you can see that they’re just brushing their tyres on the entry kerb, on the way in, on the armco on the way in as well. And it is incredible to watch.”
Vowles also spoke on how the weather will be an important factor during the 2026 F1 Monaco GP weekend. Rain at the Circuit de Monaco makes the weekend unpredictable due to the decrease in grip of the track and the reduced margin for error. The 46-year-old added that, should there be rain, it would be a very demanding weekend.
“Weather frequently forms a part of Monaco, and it’s unpredictable in some extent. We’ve had a number of wet races, so it’s a challenging circuit with low grip where the drivers are pushing the cars to the limit and maybe our first proper wet Grand Prix, which would be a heck of a challenge. It’s also a slightly different set of regulations to what we have normally.”
How the 2026 F1 Monaco GP differs from the rest of the calendar
The 2026 F1 Monaco GP will present the grid with its own unique set of technical challenges.
As explained by Vowles, the Circuit de Monaco requires the maximum downforce configuration throughout the race due to the absence of Straight Line Mode (SLM) zones. This would make Monaco the first weekend of the 2026 F1 season to not have any active aerodynamic zones. Teams, including Williams, will hence have to balance downforce with drag to succeed on track.
“Normally, we have SLM zones in Monaco. We’ve removed all of those. So the car will basically be in a full downforce configuration all the way through. In some ways, that helps us in different ways. It’s a very different way we’ve run the car all year long as a result of it. Next, obviously, it very much, depending on your balance and your downforce, you have a difference.”
How Williams has prepared for the 2026 F1 Monaco GP
In preparation for the 2026 F1 Monaco GP, Vowles shared that Williams has been focused on tuning the car to make it more comfortable for their drivers. A factor the Briton says will be crucial for the upcoming weekend.
“But it’s also about how the drivers are comfortable in the car. So a lot of the work that we’re doing in the team is making sure we’re creating a car that’s predictable to them for that weekend. And it exposes it far more than most of the other weekends beforehand.”
Vowles also added that a significant drawback of the 2026 F1 Monaco GP weekend will be the Safety Cars, as accidents are a prominent characteristic of the weekend.
“So those are the pros and the cons of it. The con I would go back to is safety cars are a feature of the race. VSCs are a feature of the race. Accidents are a feature of the race. And they make it unpredictable. And sometimes it can work your way, and other times it can go against you.”
