Côte d'Azur

Côte d'Azur
Country	France (incorrectly labeled in-game) Monaco (real life, labeled as such in Tourist Trophy)
Circuit Length	3.339 kilometres (2.075 mi)
Turns (Left/Right)	19
Track Type	Real Urban Circuit
Road Type	Tarmac
Start Type (GT4)	Rolling Start
Appears in	Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec Gran Turismo 4 Tourist Trophy Gran Turismo PSP Gran Turismo 5 Gran Turismo 6
Fastest Lap (real)	1:14.26 (Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB14)

Côte d'Azur is a real street circuit, located in Montecarlo, Monaco. It appears in every main Gran Turismo game since Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec, with the exception of Gran Turismo Sport and Gran Turismo 7

This circuit seems to be based off of the 1997-2002 layout of Circuit de Monaco.

Circuit History

Côte d'Azur is a temporary street circuit which has been used since 1929 and has played host to the Formula One Monaco Grand Prix since 1950. It has been ever present in the Formula One World Championship every year since 1955, except 2020 when the event was cancelled in response to the COVID-19 global pandemic.

The circuit was founded by Anthony Noghès, president of the Monegasque Car Club, whose idea was to bring the glamour of motor racing to the narrow streets of Monaco. The final corner of the current circuit is named in his honour.

Very little has been changed at the Monaco street circuit since its 1929 inception, perhaps the most significant changes being the redesign of the Piscine (swimming pool) complex which was overhauled in 1973 to allow room for the pit areas. The only other change of note is to Saint Devote, the first corner, which was tightened in 1976.

Current Circuit

The lap starts with a short sprint at Boulevard Albert 1er up to the tight Saint Devote corner. This is a nearly 90 degree right-hand bend usually taken in first or second gear. This corner has seen many first lap accidents, although these are less common since the removal of the mini roundabout on the apex of the corner before the 2003 event, making the entrance to the corner wider (In Gran Turismo, this corner is protected by barriers on the inside apex, however in reality it is an open corner containing the pit-lane exit). The cars then head uphill, passing through the Port Palace Hôtel and various restaurants, before changing down for the long left-hander at Massenet.

Out of Massenet, the cars drive past the famous casino before quickly reaching the aptly named Casino Square. The cars snake down the next short straight, avoiding an enormous bump on the left of the track, a reminder of the unique nature of the circuit. This leads to the tight Mirabeau corner, which is followed by a short downhill burst to the even tighter Grand Hotel hairpin (formerly known as both Station Hairpin and Loews Hairpin; hairpin carries name of hotel). It is a corner which has been used for many overtaking maneuvers in the past. However it would be almost physically impossible for two modern cars to go round side by side, as the drivers must use full steering lock to get around. It is so tight that many Formula 1 teams must redesign their steering and suspension specifically to negotiate this corner.

After the hairpin, the cars head downhill again to a double right-hander called Portier before heading into the famous tunnel on Boulevard Louis II. As well as the change of light making visibility poor, a car can lose up to 30% of its downforce due to the unique aerodynamic properties of the tunnel.

The Tunnel at Monaco in reality.

Out of the tunnel and through Quai Albert 1er, the cars have to brake hard for a tight left-right chicane. This has been the scene of several large accidents in F1, including that of Karl Wendlinger in 1994, and Jenson Button in 2003. The chicane is probably the only place on the circuit where overtaking can be attempted. In the game, the inside apex of the chicane is walled to avoid short-cutting. There is a short straight to Tabac, a tight fourth gear corner which is taken at about 195 km/h (120 mph). The restaurant La Caravelle can be seen along the way. Accelerating up to 225 km/h (140 mph), the cars reach Piscine, a fast left-right followed by a slower right-left chicane which takes the cars past the swimming pool that gave its name to the corner.

Following Piscine, there is a short straight followed by heavy braking for a quick left which is immediately followed by the tight 180 degree right-hander called La Rascasse. This is another corner which requires full steering lock. The Rascasse takes the cars into a short, adversely-cambered, straight that precedes the final corner, Virage Antony Noghes. Named after the organizer of the first Monaco Grand Prix, the corner is a tight right-hander which brings the cars back onto the start-finish straight, and across the line to start a new lap.

The smaller Formula E version of the circuit has the first right-hander lead to Avenue J.F. Kennedy before going back to the main route.

Circuit in Gran Turismo

The Côte d'Azur circuit, which first appeared in Gran Turismo 3, is a slightly adapted version of the Circuit de Monaco. The changes made to Turns 1 (Sainte Devote) and 10/11 (Nouvelle Chicane) are designed to prevent the player from cutting corners.

Nouvelle Chicane: with barriers (in game, top) and without (real, bottom)

In real life, if a driver ignores the chicane, he will receive a penalty in the race such as being demanded to go to the pit road. Or if the driver's car's brakes lock up or getting hit by an other car, the driver will not be penalized. The circuit also lacks the large 'bump' between Casino and Mirabeau which is a major feature of the real circuit.

The wall blocking the inside of La Nouvelle Chicane has been moved back slightly in GT5, in order to make the corner slightly easier.

List of Events

Gran Turismo 3

Beginner League

• Tourist Trophy; 3 Laps - Race 5
• New Beetle Cup; 3 Laps - Race 5

Amateur League

• European Championship; 3 Laps - Race 5
• Altezza Race; 7 Laps - Race 5
• Honda Type-R Meeting; 7 Laps - Race 5

Professional League

• Gran Turismo World Championship; 15 Laps - Race 9
• FF Challenge; 10 Laps - Race 3
• Spider and Roadster; 15 Laps - Race 3
• All Japan GT Championship; 20 Laps - Race 10
• Lotus Elise Trophy; 10 Laps - Race 1
• Clio Trophy; 15 Laps - Race 5
• Dream Car Championship; 20 Laps - Race 7
• Formula GT; 78 Laps - Race 10

Endurance Races

• Mistral 78 Laps; 78 Laps

License Tests

• License Test S-8

Gran Turismo 4

Driving Missions

• Mission 3
• Mission 15

Professional Events

• World Classic Car Series; 2 Laps - Race 4

Extreme Events

• Dream Car Championship; 7 Laps - Race 10
• Premium Sports Lounge; 4 Laps - Race 1
• Formula GT World Championship; 78 Laps - Race 7

European Events

• Pan Euro Championship; 6 Laps - Race 4
• La Festa Italiano; 2 Laps - Race 2
• Tous France Championnat; 3 Laps - Race 5
• 1000 Miles!; 99 Laps - Race 3

One Make Races

• Citroen 2HP - 2CV Classics; 1 Laps - Race 2
• Peugeot 206 Cup; 3 Laps - Race 5
• Renault Megane Cup; 2 Laps - Race 5

Côte d'Azur is unlocked on Day 183 of Gran Turismo mode.

Gran Turismo 5

• European Classic Car Championship
• Historic Racing Car Cup
• Formula Gran Turismo World Championship

Trivia

• Despite the circuit being located in Monaco in real life, this circuit was always labeled as a French circuit in the Gran Turismo games. This may probably be due to licensing which prevents it from using the actual Monte Carlo circuit name.
  • In Tourist Trophy, the track was labeled as a Monégasque circuit in track selection menus.
• However, the track is referred to as "Monte Carlo" in the PAL version of GT3.
• This circuit was originally planned to be available in Gran Turismo 2 under the name Montecarlo, but was removed before the game release, with the only known version being incomplete with many texture bugs.