Apple Built a Little 3D Monaco F1 Circuit to Explore in Apple Maps

Would you love to know what it’s like to explore the Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix, but can’t because you’re a pleb? Don’t worry, me too. Good news for us, though—or at least those of us who use iPhones—as we can now explore the iconic street circuit using Apple Maps starting today, in the run-up to Apple’s new F1 movie starring Brad Pitt.

Users can virtually get up close and personal with some of the tiny country’s biggest landmarks, with what Apple calls the “Detailed City Experience (DCE).” So there are custom-designed 3D visuals of the Casino de Monte-Carlo, Fairmont Monte Carlo, Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo, Yacht Club de Monaco, and the F1 Paddock Club. There are even little yachts in Monaco’s famous Port Hercules, and you’ll be able to pick out details like grandstands and gantries. And if your iPhone is set to dark mode (whose isn’t?), the buildings and boats will light up in the night.

It isn’t all just for fun, though. The DCE also shows detailed road and lane markings, trees, and signage for bus and bike lanes, medians, specific turn lanes, and road closures with detours during the race itself. In other words, it will actually make navigating Charles Leclerc’s hometown that much easier, especially if you’re on foot and can zoom into the map with a keen eye for detail.

Along with DCE is a Windshield View that is more focused on helping drivers, rather than pedestrians. Apple says that this feature “shows a road-level view as a user approaches complex interchanges, making it easier to see upcoming traffic conditions or the best lane for an approaching exit.” The iPhone maker has rolled this out in some other cities, but since it didn’t provide any images in this case, we’ll just have to imagine what it’d feel like to be down on the ground in Apple’s Sims version of Monte Carlo.

All this launches today, though you’ll have to update your iOS device to version 18.5 to see it. With the actual Monaco Grand Prix on May 25 and Apple’s Brad Pitt vehicle hitting theaters on June 27, you can be sure the tech giant is doing all it can to get everyone interested in F1.

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