Ask a Grand Prix driver if Monaco deserves its place on the Formula 1 calendar and the answer will usually be yes.
This is even if the Grand Prix can often be less than exciting. The track is so narrow and the cars so big that drivers can rarely pass or overtake each other. At the Formula E race there in April, drivers were able to overtake almost 200 times in their smaller cars. In last year’s Grand Prix there were 22 overtakings, which can make the race a walking one.
Compared to 30 years ago, the cars are about three feet longer and 600 pounds heavier, making it difficult to maneuver through Monaco’s narrow streets. However, the match has a mystery.
“For me, Monaco is the most iconic race of the season,” said Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. “Obviously, I’m Monegasque, so I’m biased, but it’s the race that made me dream of becoming a Formula 1 driver.
“The qualifying effort on Saturday is incredible. None of the tracks come close to what we feel in this qualifying round and how precise you have to be, how brave you have to be. It’s something I really like as a driver.”
Monaco has a history. This weekend’s Grand Prix marks the 95th anniversary of its first race in 1929. Its layout, a circuit described by Nelson Piquet, three-time champion in the 1980s, as “like riding a bicycle in your living room “, has changed little over time.
The layout has 19 corners over about two miles. Reaching speeds of up to 180mph, drivers completing a perfect qualifying lap, in which they are alone on the track, racing against time, is the ultimate challenge.
“As a driver, for me, qualifying in Monaco is the most exciting and the biggest adrenaline rush of the whole season,” said Oscar Piastri, McLaren driver. “Trying to get it there and brush the walls, that’s one of the most exciting things you can do in a race car.”
The race itself is still a challenge. Over 78 laps, with almost 1,500 turns, there is no respite. To win in Monaco, Mercedes’ seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton said in 2010 that “the driver with the most talent” and guts should generally do well, “if he has the car”.
The problem with Monaco is that there is no room to widen the track to help overtaking. Ideas to change it have been discussed over the years, but there have been no changes.
So the variables for overtaking are limited to strategy, an accident or the rain, which has often created a spectacle that has affected strategy and resulted in accidents.
“Can it be better in terms of overtaking on Sunday? Yes,” Leclerc said. He has qualified twice on pole position but failed to win his home race. “However, I think it’s more because the cars are getting heavier and bigger over the years, which I’m sure once that’s addressed, hopefully soon, then we’ll have better racing on Sunday in Monaco.”
Michel Boeri, president of the Automobile Club de Monaco, organizers of the Grand Prix, said that despite the race’s almost century-old heritage, it was unique.
“From the beginning, in 1929, we had no choice but to do things differently because of the topography of our tiny 700-year-old principality, nestled between the mountains on one side and the Mediterranean Sea on the other.” Boeri said in an interview. “Monaco is half the size of New York’s Central Park.
“But where else can you race around buildings and yachts at 180mph, on roads where the speed limit is 30? It’s challenging and exciting for the drivers and it’s an unforgettable experience for the spectators who can watch the cars up close.”
In 2021, a Formula 1 survey of 167,000 people from 187 countries, conducted by research firm Nielsen in partnership with Motorsport Network, highlighted the popularity of Monaco, emerging as a fan favourite. This was no surprise to Boeri.
“When people around the world think of golf, they think of the Masters at Augusta,” he said. “When they think of tennis, it’s Wimbledon. When it comes to Formula 1, it is Monaco that comes to mind.
“The Monaco Grand Prix is a classic, and like fine wine, it takes years to become a classic. For the fans, it is the unsurpassed race on the F1 calendar.”
Monaco may build on its history, but it must remain relevant to Formula 1. The arrival of the Las Vegas and Miami Grands Prix in recent years, and the spectacular nature of these events, has placed new demands on the motor industry to goes along.
“We continue to invest year after year,” Boeri said. “We have an international standard control tower, new pits, a new princely house for the podium ceremony, the track is renewed every three years and this year we will be launching additional VIP facilities at the entrance to the pit lane with a 360-degree view of the circuit.
“I read that the organizers of the Las Vegas Grand Prix said they envisioned their event as the Monaco of North America,” Boeri said. “That made us happy.
“We are also delighted to see new events around the world on the F1 calendar. New organizers sometimes call us for advice on how to organize a Grand Prix in their city, so we’re happy to share our expertise, just as we look at what’s being done elsewhere to stay informed.”
The lack of overtaking is an inevitable problem in Monaco. However, Boeri said, “I would say when there’s an overtaking, it’s always a memorable moment. It takes skill and bravery to overtake Monaco in Formula 1.”
At Ferrari headquarters in Maranello, Italy, cars dating back to Alain Prost, who drove for the team in 1990-91, are on display. Frédéric Vasseur, the Ferrari team principal, said the size difference between then and now was significant and affected the races.
“For me, qualifying in Monaco is the most exciting round of the season, but we can’t change it, we can’t try to improve it to help overtaking,” he said in an interview. “Certainly, at some stage, many of the historic tracks, like Monaco, Budapest, will become too small. It’s for another discussion, but I think we need to go back to more agile cars.”
Vasseur said Monaco “still deserves its place on the calendar”.
Daniel Ricciardo, Visa Cash App RB driver, offered a different perspective on why Monaco is important.
“As a driver, when you’re in Monaco, you feel like a superstar,” he said. “It’s the only place where you think, ‘I’m doing something really awesome.’ It’s a place where you really appreciate the job you have.
“There is an aura that surrounds the event, the race and qualifying in Monaco is one of the most intense emotions we feel as a driver. Sunday is maybe a bit different, it’s a complete change of pace. Sunday isn’t perfect by any means, but Saturday’s event still gives it enough.”
In 2022, the auto association signed a three-year extension to continue hosting the race. In 2025 he will have to prove himself again.
Boeri said he was confident the club would sign a new contract.
“What would be in the interest of both parties to refuse a new deal for the future? It would be a loss for F1, for us and for the fans.”
