The Monaco Grand Prix is a race so iconic that it defines the careers of Formula One commentators as much as it does the drivers.
Alex Jacques, who is on lead microphone duties for Channel 4 and F1TV, has voiced over 500 races, but certain dialogue is timeless.
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The 36-year-old’s poignant coverage of Charles Leclerc winning his home race in Monte Carlo last year proved an instant classic.
Jacques was on commentary as Ferrari’s No.16 became the first home favourite in 93-years to finish first at the Monaco Grand Prix.
His words even wowed the driver himself, as he referenced the role Leclerc’s late father, Herve, and godfather, ex-F1 star Jules Bianchi, played in his rise from the Principality grandstands to the podium.
12 months on, Jacques could tug on the Monegasque heartstrings again, but for the man in Ferrari’s other car, Lewis Hamilton.
The seven-time world champion ended his 12-year stint at Mercedes to fulfil a lifelong ambition to drive for the Scuderia this season.
The 40-year-old, who won the Chinese Sprint, has struggled in the main races for Ferrari in a continuation of a downward trend.
Hamilton, once F1’s unbeatable driver, has won just two Grands Prix since 2021, with his Silverstone triumph ending a 945-day drought.
Jacques’ commentary again went viral, saying: “Don’t call it a comeback, he’s been here for years.”
During an exclusive interview with talkSPORT.com ahead of the release of F1 25, Jacques explained: “I think it’s because we were so used to seeing Lewis win week in, week out.
“The idea of not seeing him win a Grand Prix for so many years just seemed absolutely impossible. So that’s where the comeback line came from, because he’s still been toiling away. It’s just not been at the front like we’ve been used to.
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His next speech on a Hamilton win would be the latter’s first at Ferrari, which F1’s No.44 believes could be just around the corner.
However, when asked if he already has an iconic line locked away, Jacques added: “You don’t prepare it way in advance.
“I think what I try to do is, at the end of a race, mark down some bullet points of things I want to hear and things I want to convey to the audience.
“And then you hope that it all knits together in something that’s coherent. I’ve had last laps that have not gone to plan in that way.
“But yeah, there are certain points that you want to hear. But no, nothing pre-scripted.
“We’ll see what strikes me when he takes his first win for Ferrari. But it’ll be something about him winning in red. Commentators are not the poets they think they are,” he joked.
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One man he’ll never be able to commentate on a win in F1 for is the man whose axing from the grid led to Lando Norris’s breakthrough.
Stoffel Vandoorne was McLaren’s third driver for the 2016 season when he found himself thrust behind the wheel.
The Belgian, deputising for Fernando Alonso in Bahrain, finished tenth – ahead of teammate Jenson Button – to become the first reserve driver to score points on debut since four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel in 2007.
While that wasn’t a surprise to Jacques, who had followed his career through the junior ranks, his failure to fully find his feet in F1 was.
A multiple title winner at junior level, Vandoorne’s emergence at McLaren came during one of the team’s most challenging periods.
The reigning constructors’ champions finished second-last in the standings during Vandoorne’s first season.
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After just seven points finishes in two years, the 33-year-old was replaced by a teenage Norris for 2019, and he hasn’t raced in F1 since.
Jacques told talkSPORT: “The example I always use is Stoffel Vandoorne, who was the champion in the second tier the first year that I commentated on it.
“He was a hugely talented driver, rated by all of his peers. It’s so many times you’ll see in Formula One, right place, wrong time. Who did he get his debut with? McLaren.
“Well, if he gets his debut with McLaren in the last five years, Stoffel’s going to be in Formula One for a decade.
“But he got his debut with McLaren at the wrong time, fades out the sport. He’s won other championships, but I think he could have had a long F1 career.
“That’s the nature of the beast. Sometimes you’re just unlucky with your timing.”
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Some talents prove undeniable, with Jacques, who commentated on 10 seasons of F2 and F3, singling out two current stars in particular.
“There are standout moments, I think, from all the people who have made it,” he continued.
“If you think about Charles Leclerc winning with a pit stop in a sprint race, where you’re not meant to stop in Bahrain in 2017.
“You think of someone more recently, for example, like Kimi Antonelli, a second lap faster than all of his peers, including three current Formula One drivers, in the wet Silverstone last year.
“Sometimes you have to look at the nuance, and you have to go, that was a great drive in the circumstances.
“And then sometimes you just see this raw talent hit you over the head like a cricket bat and go, wow, they’re in another league to everyone else on that day.
“Those are the moments where the team principal sits up and goes, ‘We need them.’
EA SPORTS is launching their new F1 25 game, with the Iconic Edition releasing on May 27th and Standard Edition launching May 30th. Available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and PC.
