Swimming Pool section

This fast left right sequence has an unexpected name: the Swimming Pool. It sweeps around the Rainier III pool, the aquatic stadium that has stood on Port Hercule since the 1960s. It is one of the most impressive sections of the circuit, taken at very high speed between unforgiving barriers. The best drivers pass within centimetres of the rails, and this is where you can often judge a driver’s confidence in the car. During the Grand Prix the pool is covered over and grandstands are built all around. The rest of the year it is a very family friendly place: in summer you swim with a view of the yachts, and in winter it becomes an ice rink. So children can swim or skate on one of the most famous spots in Formula One! Look at the white lines on the road and the tyre marks: they sometimes betray the passage of the cars.

History

You are walking along Port Hercule, on the quay where the circuit links two famous sections: Tabac, then the Swimming Pool. Tabac is named after a tobacconist that once stood on the outside of the corner. The Swimming Pool curves around the Rainier III Nautical Stadium, whose pool gave the whole section its name.

This part was not always on the track. Until 1972, after Tabac, the cars ran down a straight parallel to the pit straight. For the 1973 Grand Prix a new section linked Tabac to the nautical stadium and ran along the harbour to La Rascasse: the lap grew by 133 metres and the race went from 80 to 78 laps.

Art and architecture

Tabac is a tight left hander taken in fourth gear at about 195 km/h. The cars then accelerate to 225 km/h and reach the Swimming Pool: a fast left right followed by a slower right left.

The layout has been altered several times. In 1997 the first Swimming Pool corner was redesigned and named after Louis Chiron. In 2003 the area was reclaimed from the sea and the stretch between the pool and La Rascasse moved 10 metres towards the harbour. In 2015 Tabac was reprofiled, shortening the lap by 3 metres.

Anecdotes

Louis Chiron, a Monegasque driver, won the 1931 Monaco Grand Prix, outside the world championship. According to Wikipedia, he long remained the only local winner on this circuit; it took until 2024 for a Monegasque, Charles Leclerc, to win the Grand Prix as a world championship round.

The nautical stadium has its own story: a pool already existed in 1949, sectioned off from the harbour, and the facilities were expanded in 1961.

What to look for

Outside the Grand Prix the nautical stadium is a leisure spot: a heated saltwater Olympic pool, diving boards at 1, 3, 5 and 10 metres and a 45 metre slide. From December to March the pool becomes a 1,000 m² ice rink. So you can swim or skate in the middle of a Formula One circuit.

From the quay, spot the fast curve that follows the pool: drivers pass within centimetres of the barriers.

Practical

The circuit is a public road, open to traffic all year outside the Grand Prix. Keep to the pavements and quayside walkways, and cross only at pedestrian crossings.

For the nautical stadium’s opening hours and prices, which vary by season, check with the Monaco town hall (mairie.mc). During the Grand Prix the quay is covered with grandstands: see acm.mc.

Nearby

Carry on to La Rascasse and the Antony Noghès corner, then to the start line. In the other direction, the quay leads back to the tunnel exit and the harbour chicane.

The Wikipedia articles "Circuit de Monaco" detail how this sector has changed.

Test yourself

Sources

• Wikipédia : Circuit de Monaco
• Wikipedia : Circuit de Monaco
• Wikipedia : Rainier III Nautical Stadium
• Mairie de Monaco : Stade Nautique Rainier III

Information checked on 30 September 2026.