Everyone knows the Monaco Grand Prix. Far fewer know that the same streets host a second race, every two years, that arguably gets closer to the romance of Monaco.
The Monaco Grand Prix Historique runs the full Monaco circuit. The same harbour, the same climb to Sainte-Dévote, with the barriers a few feet from the cars. The difference is the machinery. The cars some older fans grew up watching. The race cars you read about in history books. And the paddock is fully open to walk through. Best of all, a three-day ticket can cost less than a single grandstand seat at a modern race.
That gap, between the Monaco most fans assume they can never afford and the Monaco you can actually do on a normal budget, is the heart of this week’s Away We Go Podcast, recorded with motorsport historian Colin Johnston, who has done the event as an independent traveller and writes Formula 1 history for Mercedes.
What is the Monaco Grand Prix Historique?
The Monaco Grand Prix Historique is a biennial historic motor race held on the full Monaco street circuit, featuring genuine racing cars from the pre-war era through to the 1980s. It is organised by the Automobile Club de Monaco, the same body behind the modern Grand Prix, and runs roughly two weeks before the Formula 1 race. The circuit is the one that has barely changed since 1929: Sainte-Dévote, the climb to Casino, the swimming pool, Rascasse.
These are not parade laps. There are five or six categories spread across the eras, plus a one-off sports car race, and at the sharp end the drivers are genuinely racing. Colin describes a ten-lap scrap between two ex Jim Clark Lotuses and a flat-12 1.5-litre Ferrari that you can hear echo all the way around the bay. Squint, he says, and it could be the early 1960s.
How much does it cost?
Colin did the whole weekend on a three-day ticket for about €150, with full paddock access. On his visit the Friday was free and open to everyone, a Saturday grandstand seat with paddock access was around €50, and Sunday race day was about €100. Prices are set fresh for each edition, so treat these as the shape of the cost rather than a fixed price list.
For context, a Sunday-only grandstand seat at the modern Monaco Grand Prix has run well into the hundreds of euros, and tickets now sell out a year out. The Historique is the same iconic corners for a fraction of the outlay, with a paddock you can actually walk into.
When is the next Monaco Historique?
The event runs in even-numbered years, so the next edition is expected in late April 2028, around two weeks before the Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix. The organisers have listed dates of 21 to 23 April 2028, worth confirming on the official Automobile Club de Monaco site closer to the time. That gives you the better part of two years to plan, which in Monaco terms is exactly the right amount of runway.
Where to stay and how to get there
You do not need to stay in Monaco, and Colin makes a strong case against it. He based himself in Menton, on the Italian border, and took a ten-minute train into Monte Carlo for €7.80 return. The station exit drops you steps from Sainte-Dévote and the circuit. Nice works just as well, with more accommodation and the same easy rail and tram links along the coast.
The wider point Colin keeps coming back to is that Monaco can be as expensive or as affordable as you decide. You can sit on a yacht with champagne, or you can buy a great sandwich and a can of Coke from a supermarket and watch the same cars from the same corners. The town does not force the spend, the reputation does.
Is it worth it?
Colin’s sharpest line reframes the entire Monaco debate. The tired question every F1 account farms for engagement is whether Formula 1 should keep Monaco. He flips it: the more interesting question is whether Monaco should keep Formula 1. The principality has a bigger brand and a deeper heritage than any single race, and the people who have actually stood at Sainte-Dévote tend to stop asking whether it belongs on the calendar.
If your dream of Monaco is petrol and open paddocks and historic cars driven hard, rather than a superyacht you will never board, the Historique is the version that delivers it.
The episode goes well beyond Monaco. Colin was inside the paddock at Monza in 2024 the day Charles Leclerc won. The Tifosi, he says, sounding like a monster on the other side of the garages. He is a devoted Goodwood Members’ Meeting regular, and he urges fans to find their local motorsport and volunteer, which is how he started, marshalling on tarmac rallies in Northern Ireland. As a historian writing for Mercedes, he also makes the case for diving into the sport’s past. From the Mille Miglia and Stirling Moss’s record 1955 run, you can read his longer stories at racingdaydreams.com.
The next Historique is in April / May 2028. The unglamorous, smart move is to book a base in Menton or Nice early, watch the Automobile Club de Monaco ticketing page, and treat the free Friday as your reconnaissance day. Monaco, it turns out, can be exactly as expensive as you let it be.
Find Colin Johnston at racingdaydreams.com, on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/colinjohnstonuk, on X at x.com/CJGrandPrix, and on Instagram at instagram.com/cjgrandprix.
FAQs
How much are Monaco Grand Prix Historique tickets? On Colin Johnston’s most recent visit, a three-day ticket cost about €150 with full paddock access: free on Friday, around €50 for a Saturday grandstand seat with paddock access, and about €100 on Sunday race day. Prices are reset for each edition.
When is the next Monaco Grand Prix Historique? The next edition is expected in late April 2028, listed as 21 to 23 April 2028, held every two years roughly two weeks before the Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix.
What cars race at the Monaco Historique? Genuine historic racing cars spanning the pre-war era to the 1980s, across five or six categories, plus a sports car race, all on the full Monaco street circuit.
Is the Monaco Historique the same as the Monaco Grand Prix? No. It is a separate biennial event on the same circuit, for classic cars rather than current Formula 1, far cheaper and with an open paddock.