F1 2022: Who has the most wins at the Monaco Grand Prix?

The Monaco GP is considered the crown jewel of F1. The track has been a part of the sport since its beginnings and has always been a true hallmark of any good driver. The track has seen some superb drivers over the years and has proven to be the true launching pad of greatness for many of them.

Lewis Hamilton notably announced himself on the F1 circuit with his blistering debut on this track. And no one can forget the kind of to-and-fro battle he had with Fernando Alonso. Years later, in 2011, Sebastian Vettel put on a defensive masterclass at the track when the cars were not as wide as they are now.

Not everyone, however, has been able to achieve sustained success on this track. For decades now, if there is one legend of the sport who has been termed the king of Monaco, then it has to be Ayrton Senna.

The Brazilian three-time world champion was the king of one-lap speed during his era as no one came close to him. Using that advantage to full effect, Senna racked up as many as 6 race wins at Monaco in his career.

Which F1 races in Monaco did Ayrton Senna win?

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The first time Ayrton Senna won in Monaco, it was not even in a McLaren. Driving for Lotus in the 1987 F1 season, Senna hustled the yellow-liveried car to the front row in the second position. After Nigel Mansell suffered a turbo failure, Senna inherited the lead and would start what would be a long and fulfilling love affair with the Monaco GP.

After his first race win in 1987, Senna joined McLaren in 1988, and from 1989 to 1993, he went on a 5-year win streak at the Monaco GP. The track played to his innate ability to muscle the car around the narrow streets without fear and, as a result, no one came close to him that season.

Which F1 win was the best?

When you have a driver showing brilliance around the streets of Monaco year after year, it's hard to pinpoint one particular race that was better than all of them. If you still have to pick one, then you cannot go wrong with Ayrton Senna's magnificent display of defense against the marauding Williams of Nigel Mansell in the 1992 F1 season.

The Williams of that season was in a different league than anything that F1 had seen until then. Mansell was leading the race comfortably before an ill-timed pitstop to take care of a loose wheel nut forced him to join the race behind Senna. Mansell, known as the master of overtaking at the time, was more than 2 seconds per lap quicker than the Brazilian. Senna fought valiantly and held off the Williams for 3 laps.

It was one of the more unlikeliest of wins and both Senna and Mansell were visibly exhausted at the podium ceremony as they accepted their trophies.

There were the ones that he missed as well!

It's almost hard to believe that Ayrton Senna could have actually won a few more at Monaco if things had gone his way. The first was the race in 1984, Senna's debut season, where he was driving a Toleman. In the torrential rain, the car came alive and he started passing everyone on his way to second before the race got red-flagged.

It did appear that if the race was even one lap longer, he would have overtaken race winner Alain Prost as well.

The second miss was in 1988 when Senna was in his own league and had a gap of close to 40 seconds in the race. The race was in his pocket at the time but then in what was the tiniest of errors by the Brazilian, he found himself in the wall.