Formula E heads to Monaco this weekend (27 April) with 11 teams and 22 world-class drivers all-set to take in the historic Circuit de Monaco’s storied turns and vistas.
The field of all-electric cars will once again race up the hill through Mirabeau and the famous Casino Square, round the Grand Hotel Hairpin and head through the inimitable Monaco tunnel ahead of the Nouvelle chicane before steering across the iconic harbourfront.
TICKETS: How to buy tickets for the Monaco E-Prix
The streets of the Principality have played host to some of the biggest moments in motor racing history and Formula E itself has arguably showcased the best of motorsport in Monte Carlo since it switched to the Grand Prix circuit a couple of years ago. Season 6 champion Antonio Felix Da Costa claimed victory in Season 7 in an absolute classic – undoubtedly one of the most exciting races in the history of Formula E, capping a first outing on the full Monaco circuit with an audacious overtake at the exit of the tunnel on the final lap of the race for the win.
The race saw 28 overtakes between the top six runners alone, with the lead changing six times - including an audacious move at Beau Rivage from Mitch Evans on da Costa, before the Portuguese returned the favour on the final lap for the win. Three wide at Sainte Devote on Lap 1 set the tone early.
Last season, we saw some 116 passes, as eventual winner Nick Cassidy - now of Jaguar TCS Racing - clambered from ninth on the grid to the win, while Jean-Eric Vergne steered from the back of the pack following a post-qualifying penalty to the points: P22 to P7.
If past form is anything to go by, we're in for another historic race on the streets of Monte Carlo and with six winners from seven rounds in Season 10, competition is as fierce as ever as the cream begins to rise to the top. Can anyone depose standings leader Pascal Wehrlein (TAG Heuer Porsche)?
Action gets underway with Free Practice 1 on Saturday from 07:25 local time, with Free Practice 2 from 09:05. Qualifying follows at 10:40 and Round 8 itself starts at 15:00 local.
Keep track as is happens at fiaformulae.com/live and tune in where you are via fiaformulae.com/watch.
As it stands...
After seven rounds, the milestone 10th season of Formula E is becoming one for the ages. Mexico maestro, Pascal Wehrlein opened up Season 10 with more success in Mexico City, as the TAG Heuer Porsche driver converted a pole start to his fifth victory in Formula E, at the locale of Porsche's first win in the series - secured by the German back in Season 8.
Heading to Round 2 in Diriyah, reigning champion Jake Dennis (Andretti) scored a masterful victory under the lights after perfectly timing an ATTACK MODE overcut to romp away to his sixth win in Formula E by over 13 seconds - registering the second-largest win margin in Formula E history.
Round 3 wouldn't see a repeat of the Diriyah double as Dennis was unable to carry over the previous day's pace, but this opened up the door for Jaguar TCS Racing's Nick Cassidy to swoop in and score a victory at only the third time of asking since moving to the factory team.
A return to Brazil for Round 4 and a country steeped in motorsport history, and the second São Paulo E-Prix did not disappoint. After an exciting debut in Season 9, the streets of the Anhembi Sambadrome were awash with even more wheel-to-wheel action with racing right down to the wire.
It was Sam Bird who came out on top following a daring last lap dive for the lead, coming round the outside of Jaguar's Mitch Evans to score NEOM McLaren's first win in Formula E and ending his 37-race winless streak that stretched back to New York City in 2021.
A DNF for then-Drivers' World Championship leader Cassidy saw the gap close up at the top of the standings after São Paulo, and with four different winners in four races - the title fight was still wide open heading into Tokyo.
Another new team and driver took to the top step of the podium on a landmark first visit to Japan for Formula E. With home heroes Nissan giving plenty for the sell-out crowd to cheer, as Oliver Rowland steered to pole then the podium come the race.
Heading to the Japanese capital, Rowland was on a roll after a third-place finish in Sao Paulo and started to pick up the pace after Free Practice 2 in Japan. After finishing the final practice session second fastest, Rowland went on to pinch Julius Baer Pole Position from Maserati MSG Racing's Maximilian Guenther in qualifying, around the 18-turn, 2.582km street circuit.
It was Maserati MSG Racing's Guenther who'd have the last laugh, though - more than encouraging after a strong showing in Brazil to fight back from a penalty, and all with a trip to Italy and home soil next up. Guenther had been on a points streak stretching back to Round 1 - the only driver to score in every race in Season 10 - and he managed to stretch that tally yet further in Misano.
The drama, though, lay right at the sharp end with Porsche's Antonio Felix da Costa striding to a win in Round 6 in Italy, timing his tactical jump to the front perfectly, only to see a technicality - a non-compliant throttle pedal spring - remove the win from his, and Porsche's grasp. Rowland was the major benefactor as he inherited the win but it wouldn't take long for roles to reverse.
READ MORE: The full Season 10 calendar
Right at the end of Round 7 a day later, Rowland looked to have the win in the bag as he entered the final laps at the head of the pack. However, a technical fault at the start saw his energy targets skewed and the race, effectively, running a lap longer than his car and his engineers accounted for.
Pascal Wehrlein looked set to settle for second for Porsche with temperatures in the Adriatic heat causing concern for his powertrain but half way around the final tour, he passed the slowing Nissan - Rowland out of usable energy - and took the chequered flag for the win to top the standings heading to the season's halfway point in Monaco.
Monaco maestros
The impressive list of former winners on the Monaco streets includes Fangio, Stirling Moss, Jack Brabham, Graham Hill, Jackie Stewart, Niki Lauda, Alain Prost, Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna, who won six times here, including a record five in a row.
“Monaco is Monaco, it’s just magic,” says Frenchman Vergne (DS PENSKE). Vergne’s one of four drivers on the grid to have taken the chequered flag first in Formula E around Monte Carlo’s hallowed harbourfront, with a lights-to-flag masterclass on his way to Drivers’ Championship number two back in 2018/19.
Sebastien Buemi (Envision Racing) is a double winner - the only driver to do so in Formula E - and the Swiss is hoping to stake a definitive claim to the “Electric Mr Monaco”.
Da Costa's win in Season 7 was unforgettable. Vandoorne took to the top step in Season 8 and last year, Cassidy took the honours.
The full, traditional Monaco circuit
For the 2022 Monaco E-Prix, the amended Nouvelle chicane made way for the full, traditional circuit layout around the Principality’s harbourfront and the same instantly-recognisable track, which has barely changed in layout in almost a century since its first running in 1929, is in play for GEN3.
The 19-turn, 3.337 km track will see the all-electric cars climb the hill at Sainte Devote and travel through the iconic Casino Square, Mirabeau, Grand Hotel Hairpin and of course, the tunnel.
SCHEDULE: Where, when and how to watch or stream the 2024 Monaco E-Prix Round 8
Free Practice 1 is go on Saturday from 07:25 local time, with Free Practice 2 from 09:05. Qualifying follows at 10:40 and Round 8 itself starts at 15:00 local.
WATCH: How to watch or stream Formula E's Monaco E-Prix weekend where you are
View the full schedule in your time zone and check the broadcaster listings to find out where to watch all the racing action where you live.
Follow the race LIVE and listen to full race commentary on web and in the Formula E app!
Follow all the action on-track as it happens in the Race Centre.
Keep across Live Timing – which includes a real-time interactive track map and the ability to follow your favourite driver during every session of every E-Prix – plus highlights, detailed session reports, exclusive interviews, all the standings and results as well as data, insight and reaction from trackside.
There's full race commentary of Round 8 too, with build up and the E-Prix LIVE from Monaco via the Formula E website and app as well as on TalkSPORT 2 in the UK.