ePrix de Monaco 2024: Presentation and challenges

Two weeks after the two races held at the Misano circuit, the battle is raging at the top of the championship where the gaps are narrow and the title contenders numerous. For this eighth event of the year which marks the midpoint of the season, all 22 drivers will be eager to add a prestigious victory to their record in the streets of the Principality.

Five winners in six editions in Monaco

The 2024 edition of the Monaco ePrix will be the seventh in history. Since its first appearance on the FE calendar in season 1 in 2015, the Monaco race has been absent three times; in 2016, 2018, and 2020.

Sebastien Buemi holds the record for the number of victories in the Principality with two wins in 2015 and 2017 with e.dams-Renault. In 2019, it was Jean-Eric Vergne who crossed the finish line as the winner at the wheel of his DS Techeetah.

Still aboard a DS Techeetah, it was Antonio Felix da Costa who won the 2021 edition before Stoffel Vandoorne succeeded him in 2022, the year of his title with Mercedes.

Finally, last year, it was Nick Cassidy who emerged victorious with Envision Racing. The current Jaguar driver, starting ninth, was joined on the podium by Mitch Evans and Jake Dennis. This race was also marked by the incredible comebacks of the two DS Penske drivers, Jean-Eric Vergne and Stoffel Vandoorne. The two men finished 7th and 9th after starting from the back of the grid. So, it is possible to overtake in Monaco!

A legendary circuit known to all.

With its 3,337 kilometers long and consisting of 19 turns, the Monaco circuit is a landmark in the world of motorsports. Celebrating its centenary in 2029, this circuit has hosted races from various categories, including the Formula E since 2015.

During the first three editions, the circuit took a shortened version of the original layout. At Sainte-Dévote, the drivers took a tight right turn to head towards the sea. The Port chicane was then transformed into a hairpin where the single-seaters rejoined the track that we know.

Since 2021, the circuit follows the entirety of the original layout. The start of the lap is marked by the steep climb towards the Casino square after the Sainte-Dévote turn, then by the descent towards the Mirabeau turn. The drivers then continue to descend passing through the tight hairpin of Loews before the double-right of Portier which leads them to the Tunnel.

The track continues along Port Hercule with the chicane, conducive to overtaking, then the famous turns of the Tabac Corner, the Swimming Pool, the Rascasse, and Anthony Noghes.

A hierarchy is slowly starting to take shape.

The two races held at the Misano circuit two weeks ago highlighted the strong men of this first half of the season. The top five in the championship are the five drivers who stepped onto the podium in Italy. Special mention to the defending champion Jake Dennis who secured two second places on the shores of the Adriatic Sea.

After seven races, the Englishman from Andretti shares the top spot in the rankings with Pascal Wehrlein, the only driver to have won two races this year. These two men will be among the favorites in Monaco alongside Oliver Rowland, who narrowly missed a double win in Misano, and Nick Cassidy, last year’s winner.

Lurking in both championships, Jean-Eric Vergne and the DS Penske team will be eager to shine in the Principality. The Frenchman and his teammate Stoffel Vandoorne have demonstrated on several occasions that the DS E-TENSE FE23 was performing well and could compete for victories. In Monaco, the two cars developed by DS Performance will don a special black livery, a nod to the Principality’s evening attire.

The start of the Monaco ePrix will be on Saturday, April 27th at 3:00 p.m..