Citroen Ami Takes on the Grand Hotel Hairpin in Monaco Grand Prix, With Unexpected Results
The Citroen Ami is an electric microcar that has recently been gaining attention due to its unique design.[0] Measuring only 7.9 feet (2.41 meters) long, 4.6 ft (1.39 m) wide, and 5.0 ft (1.52 m) tall, the Ami has a cube-like body that sits relatively close to the ground with a clearance of only 5.1 inches (130mm).[1] This small car recently made headlines when it attempted to tackle the Grand Hotel hairpin, sometimes known as the Fairmont or Loews hairpin, in the Monaco Grand Prix.
A video of the incident went viral and shows the blue Citroen Ami failing to take the corner safely.[1] The first pass, which was a slight uphill climb, went fine, though the Ami's tires were already squeaking as it made a quick 180-degree right-hand turn.[1] The car was a bit too fast when it approached the downhill left-hand corner, which resulted in it tipping over at the peak.[1] It is unclear whether the driver of the car sustained any injury in the crash, but considering that it happened at a relatively low speed, there is a good chance that the driver was unharmed.[1]
The Grand Hotel hairpin is one of the most well-known turns in the Monaco Grand Prix, and is also the slowest corner in Formula 1 due to its tight, 180-degree turn that needs speeds as low as 30 miles per hour (48 kilometers per hour).[2] Taking this corner at speed is quite dangerous for F1 cars and even more so for a city car like the Citroen Ami.[3] Thankfully, there were no pedestrians hit by the car and its debris, which was likely due to the poles on the curb.[3]
0. “Youngster thinks he's an F1 driver in Monaco… and ends up wrecking his little electric car!” Marca English, 12 Mar. 2023, https://www.marca.com/en/f1/2023/03/12/640e39a446163ffd4e8b459c.html
1. “Accident Monaco Citroen Ami: Driver Rolls Over at Monaco's Famous Hairpin” PKBnews.in, 13 Mar. 2023, https://pkbnews.in/accident-monaco-citroen-ami/
2. “Driver Rolls Citroen Ami At Monaco's Famous Hairpin Thinking They're An F1 Ace” CarBuzz, 13 Mar. 2023, https://carbuzz.com/news/driver-rolls-citroen-ami-at-monacos-famous-hairpin-thinking-theyre-an-f1-ace
3. “Watch Citroen Ami Fail At Tackling Monaco's Most Popular Hairpin” Motor1 , 12 Mar. 2023, https://www.motor1.com/news/656788/citroen-ami-fail-monaco-hairpin-video
