The Formula 1 season has finally returned to action following the long winter break. Just yesterday, the cars went head-to-head on the streets of Melbourne, at the Albert Park Circuit, which officially opened the 2026 championship.
The pinnacle of motorsport is well known for the incredible variety of its circuits: from permanent venues such as Silverstone Circuit and Autodromo Nazionale Monza, to street tracks like the Australian layout and other iconic stops on the calendar, including Marina Bay Street Circuit, Baku City Circuit, and the legendary Circuit de Monaco.
However, one aspect of racing that many fans rarely consider is the enormous amount of work required to prepare these street circuits. The track in the Principality, widely regarded as the most glamorous event of the entire championship, demands a truly colossal organizational effort to transform everyday city streets into a Formula 1-ready racing venue.
We at Formula1.it had the opportunity to discuss this topic with Romain Pugliese, Deputy Event Director of the Automobile Club de Monaco. We asked him to take us behind the scenes of his work and explain the sheer scale of preparations that, every year, turn the streets of Monte Carlo into a racing circuit. This effort is not limited to Formula 1, but also includes other major events such as the Monaco Historic Grand Prix and the Formula E Monaco E-Prix, both scheduled to take place in the coming months.
At the start of our conversation with Romain Pugliese, we asked how long it takes to fully assemble the Circuit de Monaco. “Our teams need approximately eight weeks to install the entire circuit,” he explained. “This includes safety barriers, grandstands, pedestrian bridges, pit facilities, hospitality areas, and all the technical infrastructure required to transform the city streets into a racing track.”
For this reason, this year’s construction work began on February 23, ensuring everything would be ready for the first scheduled event: the Monaco Historic Grand Prix, set to take place from April 22 to April 26, 2026.
However, the planning phase does not begin just two months before the event, but almost a full year in advance. “From both a logistical and organizational perspective, preparations start almost immediately after the previous edition concludes. Even during the installation phase, we are already thinking about how to make the next edition simpler, faster, and more efficient.”
“Numerous meetings with local authorities, suppliers, and technical partners are essential to ensure strong coordination and efficient collaboration. While the physical installation on site begins around two months before the event, the strategic planning phase continues throughout the entire year.”
When discussing the circuit’s capacity, Romain Pugliese explained that the grandstands at the Circuit de Monaco can accommodate up to around 25,000 spectators. However, when considering the many additional viewing areas, including hospitality zones, private balconies, and yachts moored in the harbor, the total number of people present during the race weekend can reach approximately 200,000.
Returning to the topic of planning and assembling the various structures required for the events, we asked which aspect is the most complex to execute. Somewhat surprisingly, we discovered that the most challenging element is not the installation of grandstands or guardrails, but rather race control itself. “Race control is undoubtedly the most complex structure to build due to its technical sensitivity and fragility. It consists of several modular units interconnected with large glass panels, meaning that assembly must be extremely precise, with minimal tolerance between each section.”
He continued: “Additionally, the building includes an elevator, which requires a particularly delicate and complex operation to install within the structure, while ensuring perfect vertical alignment on every level. This process demands highly specialized expertise and absolute precision.”
Speaking about timing systems, which are essential for enabling the various racing categories to compete, he added: “The system is similar to those used at permanent circuits. Timing sensors are installed on the track surface, allowing precise measurement via transponders fitted to each car. These transponders transmit data in real time, enabling accurate monitoring of lap times, sector times, and race positions.”
“For the Monaco Historic Grand Prix and the Monaco E-Prix, timing operations are managed by Alkamel, a highly experienced official timing provider. For the Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix Louis Vuitton, however, timing and race management are handled directly by Formula 1’s official systems and personnel, ensuring full integration with FIA World Championship standards.”
“Preparing the track” does not simply mean assembling guardrails, grandstands, or pedestrian bridges. One of the most crucial aspects is the road surface itself, which, when not used by Formula 1 cars, remains open to everyday city traffic—both during nighttime hours on race weekend and throughout the rest of the year. For this reason, “the track surface is resurfaced every year,” although not entirely. “At least one third of the circuit is renewed annually due to wear caused by regular road traffic over the course of the year. This ensures optimal grip and safety conditions for the race weekend.”
When discussing city traffic—one of the biggest challenges faced by the ACM teams—Pugliese revealed some of their “secrets” for ensuring that everything runs smoothly without causing excessive disruption to the Principality’s streets: “Managing logistics in a living urban environment requires meticulous planning. Installation is carried out in carefully scheduled phases. For certain operations that require full road closures, we work at night or during off-peak traffic hours to minimize inconvenience.”
“The longest phase, however, is the construction of grandstands and major infrastructure such as the pit buildings, race control, and hospitality areas. These structures are mainly located along the harbor, meaning they do not significantly interfere with road traffic, at least for vehicles.”
He continued: “The circuit remains fully open to traffic for as long as possible and is only completely closed at the latest possible stage, in order to minimize disruption for residents and workers. All these measures allow the city to continue functioning as normally as possible. Close collaboration with local authorities ensures minimal impact on residents, businesses, and daily traffic flow.”
Looking ahead, we asked whether any innovations were planned in the coming years, either in terms of grandstands for spectators or facilities for personnel. On this topic, we were told: “The pit structures were fully renovated and modernized in 2018. As a result, there are currently no plans to introduce new pit facilities in the near future, as the existing infrastructure fully meets the operational and hospitality standards of the event.”
“However, we are continuously studying potential projects and improvements for the coming years, always with the aim of enhancing both the spectator experience and operational efficiency, while preserving the unique character of the event.”
We concluded our in-depth conversation with Romain by asking what he expects from the 2026 Monaco Grand Prix, especially considering the presence of a new team on the starting grid—meaning two additional cars—as well as the new technical regulations, which require smaller and more agile cars.
In recent years, one of the main criticisms from fans regarding the Monte Carlo Formula 1 Grand Prix has been the lack of overtaking, largely due to the excessive size of modern cars, especially when compared to the narrow streets of the Monaco street circuit.
Addressing this topic, Pugliese explained: “For the 2026 edition of the Monaco Grand Prix, the arrival of a new team on the grid required us to expand the pit facilities. This was something we had anticipated, as we already had an eleventh garage available.”
“With the introduction of the new-generation cars and their revised technical format, it will be very interesting to see how they perform on our unique street circuit. Monaco has always been a track where precision, safety, and qualifying performance are decisive, and these regulatory changes could influence race dynamics.”
“As always, we will carefully analyze the event to identify potential optimizations, just as we have done throughout the history of the circuit. Our objective remains the same: to preserve the mythical character of the race while continuously improving its spectacle and intensity.”
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