up! and away!

With the new Volkswagen up! GTI on Monaco's Formula One street circuit.

The harbour of the small principality of Monaco is one of the hot spots for the international jet set. Row upon row of yachts belonging to the upper crust vie to out sparkle the next, even in the winter Mediterranean sun. A glance in the opposite direction reveals a conglomerate of bars and restaurants, which have popped up around the Stade Nautique Rainier III de Monaco swimming pool. On the far side of this is the Boulevard Albert I. This may not be one of the most beautiful corners of this tiny country on the Mediterranean Sea, but it's the plethora of fine lines that make it a somewhat extraordinary street. Because it is exactly here – in the historical heart of Monaco – where what is probably the craziest Formula One race of the season begins once a year. The fine lines mark the starting grid for the team drivers.

Like flying a helicopter through your living room

At a length of 3,337 meters, the street circuit for the racing cars winds through narrow streets in the La Condamine district and over the Monte Carlo mountain, which hosts the even more famous casino at its peak. Drivers complete 78 laps with 19 tight turns and curves, covering an overall race distance of 260 kilometres. This makes Monaco an exception, as the Formula 1 rules state that a Grand Prix must cover a distance of at least 305 driven kilometres. And no one described the Monaco Grand Prix better than the former Brazilian Formula One world champion Nelson Piquet, who said, "Driving in Monaco is like flying a helicopter through your living room".

The layout of streets is no less exceptional even when the country is not hosting the racing weekend. The narrow thoroughfares of the principality are populated with a spectacular mix of vehicles, with swarms of motor scooters squeezing past the wing mirrors of the closely parked cars. Nowhere else in the world will you find this density of special paintwork finishes and exclusive tuning of compact cars. And in between, you'll also find countless top vehicles from the European premium brands coasting through this small state – a unique quartet of automobiles. You could almost believe that this scene has been painted specifically for the new Volkswagen up! GTI.

Motor scooters in the historic district.

The new Volkswagen up! GTI at the Quay Albert I.

After a short stop at the harbour, we sneak through the lanes of the historic district with the little Wolfsburger towards the Formula One course.

On the way to the course.

One more left turn and we are on the Boulevard Albert I. A zebra crossing and approaching pedestrians enable us to stop just in front of the start line of the Formula One circuit, right across from the diving tower of the harbour swimming pool.

Just before the start and finish line.

We put the car into the first of the manual gearbox's six gears. 115 PS and 200 newton metres of torque will accelerate the 1,000-kilogram up! GTI to 100 kilometres per hour within 8.8 seconds

But we have reached the Sainte Dévote curve before the Monaco police need to intervene.

We leave a cast-iron Bugatti, reminiscent of the origins of the Monaco Grand Prix in the 1920s, on the edge of the course and climb the long straight up the Monte Carlo while the countless balconies of the high-rise facades of Monaco fly past the side window.

A left-right combination keeps us from landing directly on the roulette table with the up! GTI and leads us to the Place du Casino.

Here, where the Formula One race cars thunder over the square with a deafening roar once a year, a Porsche Cayenne is waiting in its parking spot while an Italian sports car in front of the Café de Paris has to queue behind the up! GTI.

It was impossible for the sports car to overtake us approaching the famous Grand Hotel Hairpin curve. The newest member of the Volkswagen GTI family is simply too agile and manoeuvrable.

Thanks to its sporty running gear and with its 17-inch alloy wheels, the car takes every curve as if it were on rails without coming into contact with the red and white curbs.

The counter sweep of the Mirabeau Bas curve feels like driving a go-cart, and isn't the only curve to excite in this way. Sitting perfectly on the sporty front seat with the tartan pattern from the legendary first Golf GTI, the distinctive mark of the GTI-Family, we turn a sharp 90 degrees to the right onto the long straight stretch through the harbour tunnel.

At the end, the Nouvelle Chicane is already awaiting us. A building site turns it into a true chicane and soon we find ourselves back at Monaco's Port Hercule.

The Tabac curve brings us back to the quay wall. Past the silhouettes of the sterns of the big yachts, we approach the La Rascasse section of the course. At this sharp bend, the harbour restaurant of the same name is on the right, the few tables of which could be reserved a thousand times over on Formula One race weekends, and at astronomical prices as well. One last time through another right curve and we fly under the watchful eyes of Monaco's flics, maintaining the speed limit but feeling much faster, towards the finish line.

One lap with the new Volkswagen up! GTI on the Monaco circuit:
starting price €16.975 for the basic model plus transport. It's worth it!