Andre D’Cruze Sends Monte Carlo Hot Lap Past 120 mph

Andre D’Cruze drove a McLaren 720S on a monte carlo hot lap that made 120 mph feel far faster than it sounds. The passenger-seat run showed why Monaco still gets treated as Formula 1’s crown jewel, even while its racing is criticised for cramped overtaking.

Ollie Bearman Monaco remarks

Haas driver Ollie Bearman said, "I don’t really like when people criticise the racing in Monaco."

He added, "I don’t know what you expect. It’s a street track. Where else do you put the track? It’s surrounded by real estate."

Bearman also said, "The fact is in Monaco the spectacle comes on Saturday afternoon (with qualifying, where drivers risk crashes pushing as hard as they can around the walls). That’s the one that we should all be tuning into."

McLaren 720S Monaco lap

The lap used a McLaren 720S with a four-liter V8 engine that can deliver 710 bhp, and it does 0-60 mph in less than three seconds. That spec explains why the car can hit 150 mph quickly, but the Monaco street track still kept speed in check.

D’Cruze hit the gas exiting the final corner to begin the lap, and the narrowness of the track made 120 mph feel much higher. Formula 1 cars have hit 220 mph on other tracks so far in 2026, and Monaco still prevents them from going much quicker.

Pirelli hot laps since 2018

Formula 1 has run its hot laps program with Pirelli since 2018, and the Monaco version began last year. The Athletic was randomly selected for a hot lap in Monaco, which turned a circuit most fans only see on television into a firsthand ride through its walls and barriers.

Hot laps are available to some fans who pay a premium or are offered a lap for free, so the access itself remains uneven even as the experience makes the circuit’s speed easier to understand. The unanswered question is how widely this Monaco version will be offered going forward.