In celebration of ten years of partnership with McLaren, Johnnie Walker Blue Label welcomed icons from the worlds of film, music and F1 to Symphony in Blue, Monaco – an experiential spectacular that transported guests including Eva Longoria, Jenson Button and rugby star Chris Robshaw into a universe of flavour, craftsmanship and dramatic storytelling. 

Hosted inside one of Monaco’s most revered buildings, the Ermanno Palace, Symphony in Blue kicked off a long weekend of glamour, style and sophistication. Just sixty guests from around the globe were invited to Friday’s intimate Symphony in Blue experience, which showcased how imagery, sound, light and the tactile environment can influence the perception and taste of a whisky hailing from the four corners of Scotland.  Monaco resident and former Formula 1 World Champion, Mika Häkkinen, joined the celebration raising a glass to the unique partnership forged over the past decade.

Jenson Button said: “Living here I understand the unique character of Monaco and what makes it so glamorous, which is why Symphony in Blue, is the perfect match for this Grand Prix. It’s the pinnacle race of the season and the perfect way to celebrate our historic 10 year partnership.”

@F1Photographer Darren Heath delivers a stunning collection of images for each race in the 2015 calendar. View the Monaco Grand Prix Gallery above.

The story of the Monaco Grand Prix, as Monte Carlo played host to round six of the 2015 Formula 1 championship.

View the best pics of Fernando and Jenson on track, with a glimpse of behind-the-scenes in Monaco courtesy of Johnnie Walker and TAG Heuer.

“A hugely positive step for the whole team”

Circuit de Monaco, Sunday May 24

McLaren-Honda scored its first points of the season at Monaco today.

Starting from 10^th, Jenson Button drove a typically unruffled race to eighth, earning the team four points. In fact, Jenson was never out of the top 10 all afternoon; he moved past Pastor Maldonado when the Lotus driver encountered bra ke issues, then jumped Max Verstappen when the Dutchman was delayed in the pits.

The late-race Safety Car offered the opportunity to catch Sergio Perez, but he was unable to generate enough temperature in the tyres to mount a sustained challenge to the flag.

Fernando Alonso’s race started well – he made a strong start to jump from 13^th to 11^th, but was given a five-second penalty (which he took at his pit-stop) for clashing with Nico Hulkenberg as the pair turned into Mirabeau on lap one. Fernando was the first driver to start on Primes, and his pace looked strong at the start of the race; however, his afternoon came to an end after 41 laps with an as-yet-unspecified overheating issue.

JENSON BUTTON, MP4-30-01

“It’s been a positive day for us. We were hoping to score a point today, and we scored four. I certainly didn’t expect to finish eighth.

“At the start I lost a position to Nico [Hulkenberg], but got it back by going around the outside of him at Turn Three on the first lap, which was good fun. Once I got past Pastor [Maldonado], my race was basically about turning quali lap after quali lap: it was flat-out.

“That was tough – in fact it was pretty physical out there – but I really enjoyed it.

“I’m really happy for the team – we’ve worked hard to get into this position, and they deserve this. We have work to do, but this is a hugely positive step for us.”

FERNANDO ALONSO, MP4-30-03

“At the start, I don’t think I deserved the penalty [for the incident with Hulkenberg]. At that particular moment, I don’t know what else I could have done.

“Most significantly, it’s a pity we couldn’t finish the race today. The car started to upshift in a really strange way on the lap before I stopped; then, on the first corner, I had no braking. The car stayed in neutral and I couldn’t put it in gear.

“That’s frustrating because we could have had both cars in the point for the first time this season. We need to keep improving the car to ensure these sorts of things don’t happen again. Still, having these problems this year is good, because it means we won’t repeat them next year.”

ERIC BOULLIER – Racing director, McLaren-Honda

“Since the beginning of the season we’ve been consistent in our messaging: we’re all working extremely hard, and the result of that arduous toil is steady improvement.

“Today, thanks to Jenson’s eighth place, our renewed McLaren-Honda partnership was rewarded with its first world championship points – a result that underlines that steady improvement.

“Okay, we’ve now squirrelled away four world championship points, but, although Jenson drove very well, we won’t waste time celebrating that milestone. Yes, it’s encouraging, but our ambitions run to far greater heights than eighth places. And we’ll achieve them, believe me.

“For Fernando, finally, this afternoon was another frustrating one, and we’re still investigating the cause of his retirement. He, too, drove very well, and, had his car proved reliable, would also have scored world championship points.

YASUHISA ARAI – Honda R&D senior managing officer – chief officer of motorsport

“Thanks to Jenson’s steady run, and the team’s effort to improve the power unit’s driveability for Monaco, we earned our first points of the season today. It feels like we’ve now finally arrived at the start-line of the race calendar.

“As for Fernando, he left the garage feeling confident that he could finish in the points. He was running well in the race – and I also felt confident that we could see both cars in the top 10 for the first time this season – but, unfortunately, a drive-fail warning popped up and ended his race prematurely.

“As always, McLaren-Honda will keep pushing as a team and work towards better results at the next race.”

“A nice little stepping stone for the future”

Circuit de Monaco, Saturday May 23

Despite getting both cars into Q2, this was a disappointing day for the whole team.

Jenson Button was denied a shot at getting into Q3 for the first time this year after encountering yellow flags on his final flying lap. He lost 0.5s in the first sector, yet only missed a slot in the top 10 by 0.1s – a strong indicator that he possessed the pace to proceed.

He qualified 12^th, but will start 11^th owing to Romain Grosjean’s grid penalty for a gearbox change.

Fernando Alonso was unable to post a representative quick lap in Q2 after suffering a car failure. He rolled to a stop at the exit of Sainte Devote and played no further role in qualifying. He qualified 15^th, but, as with Jenson, will jump a place owing to Grosjean’s penalty. He will start 14^th. 

Both drivers gain a position on the grid owing to 11^th-placed Romain Grosjean’s five-place gearbox penalty, and an additional spot following the relegation of Carlos Sainz Jnr to the pitlane due to a weighbridge penalty.

We start the race 10^th (Jenson) and 13^th (Fernando).

JENSON BUTTON, MP4-30-01

“There’s always a bit of ‘shoulda woulda coulda’ in qualifying, but I would have easily been inside the top 10 today.

“On my final lap in Q2, I lost a lot of time lifting for the yellow flag at Turn One. I then gained a lot of it back – I was only a tenth off my best – but it wasn’t enough. And I think we could have had some fun in Q3, too – I think we’d have been fighting two or three cars for position.

“The car felt really good – although we still don’t have enough outright pace – but I have a lot of confidence in it, especially under braking. Today’s performance shows the progress we’re making. The team has done a fantastic job this weekend, and they should be happy because the car is getting better all the time.

“This is a nice little stepping stone for the future. Our aim tomorrow will be to score points.”

FERNANDO ALONSO, MP4-30-03

“We don’t exactly know what happened to my car in Q2: I guess it was something electrical because the car switched itself off in the middle of the straight. I had no power, no electrics, and no readout on the steering wheel.

“But, overall, the team’s performance has been better this weekend, and Jenson at least has the opportunity to score a few points tomorrow.

“I don’t wish to sound pessimistic, but, in the Monaco Grand Prix, the race finishes on Saturday afternoon. On Sunday, you just join a train of cars. Starting 14^th, hopefully we can gain some experience of the car, and improve its performance and reliability. We’re still too fragile at the moment.”

ERIC BOULLIER – Racing director, McLaren-Honda

“Today’s qualifying session was not only disappointing, but also unlucky.

“Fernando had been quick and confident in every session, and we were therefore fully expecting him to move smoothly through to Q3 this afternoon. Unfortunately, however, his bid for Q3 glory was ended by an as-yet-unspecified failure at Sainte Devote, where his car came to an abrupt stop. We’re still investigating the cause of the problem.

“As for Jenson, he was also lapping fast and well, and would definitely have made it through to Q3 also. However, as luck would have it, just as he was about to cut his quickest lap in Q2, ahead of him Nico [Rosberg] locked up and went straight on into the Sainte Devote escape road, triggering a yellow-flag deployment, requiring Jenson to lift off as he passed the hazard.

“Had he been able to take Sainte Devote at normal speed, he’d have ended Q2 well inside the top 10, allowing him to go through to Q3 for the first time this season.

“So, as my British colleagues would phrase it, I guess there’s no point crying over spilt milk, but we’re undeniably frustrated nonetheless.

“Having said that, Jenson and Fernando are both massively experienced world champions, so tomorrow you can be well sure that they’ll be pulling out all the stops in their efforts to battle their way through the field to points-scoring positions by flag-fall.

“Overtaking is always incredibly difficult here, of course, but our guys will be doing their damnedest to make good progress, even so.”

YASUHISA ARAI – Honda R&D senior managing officer – chief officer of motorsport

“We are extremely disappointed with the qualifying results as we had a very good feeling within the team during FP3 earlier today. I believe that Jenson’s qualifying lap may have been affected by the sudden yellow flag as he was starting his flying lap. 

“We are currently investigating Fernando’s car issues, though we suspect it to be electrical. The drivers have a positive impression towards the car, so tomorrow we will adapt the power unit set-up and hope to gain some positions during the race.”