Is the boring Monaco Grand Prix really a problem? Aren’t Liberty Media just going to drop it anyway next year once its contract expires?
After all, the bombardment of hype around last year’s Las Vegas Grand Prix assured us F1’s spectacular new event had taken the crown as the championship’s most glamorous race.Perhaps it has. But don’t underestimate the value of heritage or the power of jealousy. F1 fans may have long come to associate the phrase ‘Monaco Grand Prix’ with 78 laps of tedium, but it has huge global name recognition and a rival series could claim a publicity coup by taking it over.
Formula E already has an event on the same circuit, after all. And its narrower, slower cars can actually race around the principality’s streets.
F1 cars largely cannot, and so the annual post-Monaco Grand Prix argument over what can be done to improve this round is in full swing. The usual cavalcade of half-baked knee-jerk Monaco-specific ‘fixes’ are being trotted out: ‘More mandatory pit stops’, ‘Force them to use soft tyres’, ‘Make them complete a lap on foot’ and so on.
F1 tries to create exciting races by forcing teams to use two different tyre compounds and hoping the pit stops this provokes lead to changes in position. But Monaco is such a slow track the tyres don’t wear out, and as overtaking there is almost impossible, the leader can back off by multiple seconds per lap to reduce the chance a rival behind will be able to time their pit stop in order to attack them.
Even so, in an ordinary Monaco Grand Prix the chasing pack has a chance to get ahead, for example by a fortuitously-timed Safety Car period. Max Verstappen and the Mercedes drivers gambled on this on Sunday, taking the start on the hard tyre compound, intending to stay out longer than the medium-shod Ferraris and McLarens ahead.
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That intrigue was destroyed on the first lap, along with Sergio Perez’s Red Bull. His race-stopping collision with the Haas drivers allowed everyone to change tyres and run to the end.
Three years ago Lando Norris called this “the worst rule ever invented” and many others have questioned it since. If only a fraction of the effort expended on the worthless sprint race gimmick had been spent on tidying up this odd contradiction of F1’s racing rules.
Or, for that matter, questioning why a long-standing rules exception Monaco already enjoys is still necessary. The lower tyre degradation seen across a grand prix in Monaco is partly a consequence of the rules stipulating this race must be 45 kilometres shorter (almost 15%) than any other. As long as F1 bases its races around who can make their tyres last, the only event run to less than the 305 kilometre limit is always going to be at a disadvantage.
Is it even fair to single Monaco out as the least entertaining grand prix venue? Based on our readers’ Rate the Race votes by the end of last season, five tracks on the 2024 F1 calendar produce consistently less exciting races. Even if we discount those with low sample sizes such as Miami and Losail (two races each) that still leaves the Circuit de Catalunya in Spain, Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico and – worst of all – Yas Marina in Abu Dhabi as F1’s least entertaining venues.
This suggests those running F1 would be deluding themselves by thinking Monaco is the only track which produces sub-standard racing. The 2022 rules changes may have brought the field closer together on performance, but have they allowed drivers to race closer together? Do drivers nursing high-degradation tyres and performing slam-dunk DRS passes truly create exciting races?
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By its nature, Monaco shows the difficulties of F1 racing in extremis. But it remains a spectacular and challenging venue which can surprise and excite in other ways. Those who would invent new rules in an effort to make its race more like any other on the calendar are forgetting that F1 cars don’t race especially well at a lot of those either.
This is why drivers are clamouring for smaller, lighter chassis. Only a few hours before the grand prix Formula 2’s drivers demonstrated passing is possible around Monaco in narrower cars.
Have I seen anything duller than the 2024 Monaco Grand Prix? Most races in Valencia and Sochi. Spa 2021, no doubt. But however boring the Monaco Grand Prix can be, I’ve never endured one as tedious as hearing the same whinges and half-baked, knee-jerk solutions which are dreamt up for it every year. Forget about ‘fixing’ Monaco, F1 needs to look at the big picture.
Comment
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VissileF1 (@mark-visser99)
28th May 2024, 13:21
Couple suggestions:
– They race their 60% sized wind tunnel models with any engine they can fit inside
– Add a 45 degree banking to a couple of the corners so there’s a high and low line
– Add a chunk of track and make it a mandatory joker lap every 10 laps
That’ll keep them on their toes….
Anthony H. Tellier
28th May 2024, 16:27
“‘Make them complete a lap on foot’ ‘ Jahhahaahhaha. +10!
Nick T.
28th May 2024, 20:15
And have a break every 10 laps for a Hamilton runway show.
Nick T.
29th May 2024, 3:17
At the very least, drivers intentionally running 2-5 seconds a lap slower to create a pit stop gap should be black flagged (like Alonso did this weekend and many others have done in the past). Why only in Monaco? Because it’s really the only track where you can go that slow with almost zero worry about being overtaken.
Johnny
28th May 2024, 13:25
have special 3/4 scale size cars only for monaco, they already have special steering racks for the race, why no go all the way? :)
you’re welcome Liberty, my fee for your solution is 1 million dollars.
notagrumpyfan
28th May 2024, 14:35
They clearly forgot to include in the rules that the cars should also be 15% smaller.
Yuki is now arguing for a similar reduction for the average driver ;)
Fer no.65
28th May 2024, 13:25
I think it’s also a sign of the times, where people want action everywhere, no matter how good it is. I mean, DRS passes are horrible, they ruined racing for me. But it seems more “enjoyable” because there’s change, and the commentators shout a lot, and they show people in the grandstands cheering and all that. So then you get Monaco when they don’t overtake each other and it feels much worse than before, when all races were sort of processional.
It’s about managing expectations, in a way. What did we expect from Monaco? Even without that crash, it’d have been boring as hell too so it’s not the red flag rule which makes it boring to watch.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
28th May 2024, 19:19
Monaco is a different race than usual though, it’s a strategic race about pit stops overcuts and massive tyre differential to make passes happen, and the red flag with the silly rule allowing them to change tyres during it killed the strategic aspects the race would’ve had.
W-K (@w-k)
28th May 2024, 22:12
So the re-start should have been a proper re-start for all the rules and the drivers should have still had to do the new race on two different compounds.
Jonathan Parkin
28th May 2024, 13:29
Of course drivers should be allowed to change tyres for safety reasons, but on Sunday the only driver that applied to was Zhou who physically drove through the debris. So maybe modify the rule so that only the drivers who are at risk of a puncture make the change
Fer no.65
28th May 2024, 14:34
That’ll never work. FIA won’t like people pointing fingers if for whatever reason someone that didn’t change tyres during the red flag has a massive accident because of a tyre. If we’re allowing this, it should be for all.
I think a possible solution would be to force the teams to either replace tyres using the same compound or start at the back if you do. It’d be in line to what happens if a driver decides to switch tyres after the formation lap, where they dive to the pits and start from there. Like in wet races, when people go for inters right away…
Alianora La Canta (@alianora-la-canta)
28th May 2024, 21:10
Half the field drove through the Alpine debris and thus would also have been entitled to a tyre change.
Rhys Lloyd (@justrhysism)
30th May 2024, 4:01
Just change the rule to actually include a mandatory pit stop (not just tyre compounds) which must be undertaken under green flag conditions.
This would also rule out pit stops under safety car counting (but still allowing it to happen).
mars
28th May 2024, 13:40
Monaco is Monaco. It’s all about qualifying, unless it’s not rain or something strange happened. Excitement during qualifications alone is worth watching each year. Nothing has changed for me since 1987. Trying to make changes to the Monaco track is contrary to it’s historical heritage, but I’m not against the idea of smaller and lighter cars.
DaveW (@dmw)
28th May 2024, 18:35
Not just qualifying. Watching drivers build up their confidence and speed over the practice sessions is fascinating. This race is the only p3 I ever watch. P3 is knife edge with catastrophic costs of error because you may not make it to qualifying if you hit the wall but you have to be centimeters from the walls because every half a tenth is gold. By the time the race starts ive had like 3 races worth of tension and drama.
Yaru (@yaru)
28th May 2024, 18:53
Agreed about qualifying. Monaco qualifying is the most exciting in the season for me for that reason. After that it’s about bringing it home.
As for smaller cars, everyone wants smaller and lighter cars, the drivers, the fans, the FIA itself, etc.
The problem is reducing the safety improvements that have come in the last decade as a result as well as accommodating the upcoming more electrified power units, which are getting bigger and heavier.
Mayrton
28th May 2024, 13:47
Haha, nice write up Keith!
Hotbottoms (@hotbottoms)
28th May 2024, 13:56
This seems like a knee-jerk reaction to me. A driver on worn tires could be leading the race by 30 seconds, which would typically be enough to maintain the lead after a pit stop. However, an ill-timed red flag could force them to either keep the lead with no gap and worn tires or move to the back of the field.
A fairer rule might be to impose a time penalty (based on the average lost time during a pit stop) for anyone changing tires, placing them behind those drivers who were within that time before the red flag incident. However, this would be a somewhat complex rule, so I’m not sure if I support it either.
MichaelN
28th May 2024, 14:10
Very fair article, a lot of the problems flagged this weekend are not unique to Monaco. Though calling Las Vegas glamorous seems a classic case of ‘saying it doesn’t make it so’. It’s a concrete jungle in the middle of a desert, whereas Monaco is – if nothing else – situated wonderfully along the French/Italian coast. And it has the added bonus of not being run at night, which always reduces the environment to a big grey sea of fences and tarmac, while the floodlights dominate the camera’s sensors such that all the trackside objects disappear into the darkness.
The Monaco GP was actually somewhat interesting in that it showed a glimpse what could happen if F1 had no mandatory stops and just two compounds, with a Hard tyre that could be run all race, and a Soft tyre that is faster by a margin somewhat comparable to a pitstop length (say, 25 seconds). Nursing tyres isn’t necessarily bad – it’s a key racing skill – but in F1 it seems the tyres have become the goal of the exercise, rather than a tool. In addition, the tyre management would be a lot more interesting if it was an actual tyre management skill and not – as it is now – a case of driving to a computer-determined laptime that is multiple seconds off the pace. These guys can all do that. But balancing pushing, pace and tyre wear is whole other game.
Dave H
28th May 2024, 14:54
To add overtaking: Turn left at Portier and take Princess Grace Avenue, following the line of the beach as far as the Monte Carlo Country Club. That’s a 1.2km “straight”, heavy braking with passing opportunities, loop, back along the beach or Larvotto at 200mph, then into the tunnel and back to the current track.
That adds 2.5km of insanely quick track.
Bonus 1: the roads are already there and there are 2 parallel roads to use.
Bonus 2: there’s probably enough room there for another 20,000 grandstand seats so even more revenue for Monte Carlo, F1, local businesses, Liberty etc. and 20,000 more people could actually see the race without being up a tree.
Fixed!
Jack
28th May 2024, 14:55
Monaco was only boring because that stupid red flag rule that lets teams do what they want.
If they weren’t able to make the mandatory tyre change then the result could have been different with the pit stop gambles.
By all means under a red flag let them change tyres but it can’t count as the mandatory change.
MacLeod (@macleod)
29th May 2024, 7:46
+1 during red flags this should be done.
plyschak
28th May 2024, 15:03
1. No tyre change under red flag unless required for safety reasons (puncture or wet weather, but then all drivers have to take same compound).
2. Drivers must complete at least 2 full laps (pass the start/finish line) under green with each compound.
This is not rocket science, just look around what the others do.
Chris (@austin-healey)
28th May 2024, 16:59
Not my idea, but I like the thought that everyone has to run all 3 compounds at Monaco.
So 2 pit stops.
Alianora La Canta (@alianora-la-canta)
28th May 2024, 21:08
About half the field had legitimate safety reason to take a new compound in Monaco, at which point it is arguable that one is simply rewarding people for being so slow in qualifying as to be behind the crash that caused the debris.
plyschak
29th May 2024, 14:42
What was legitimate safety reason to change tyres under red flag in this race? It would be OK for Sainz and Ocon (if he’d continued) but the rest was fine. Tyre pressure can be measured and if it falls by certain percentage or below threshold, then change tyres. Driver deliberately slow in quali to be behind a crash? OK, I am fine with that and want to see their stupid faces when there won’t be one.
StuBen (@stuben)
28th May 2024, 15:06
It’s certainly not just a Monaco problem, far too many races end up as tyre conservation due to time lost to make an extra pitstop.
I would say all races need to have a mandatory minimum of 2 stops and mandatory to use all 3 tyres during the race. The performance difference of the tyres should be greater to allow for a soft wearing Williams to have the edge over a hard running red bull. This will promote more strategy along with more flat out racing, I want to see the drivers exhausted after a race and not like they’ve just got out of bed.
Asd
28th May 2024, 15:12
I appreciate Monaco for forcing drivers to work harder and show some actual skill.
Monaco’s difficulty causes drivers to make errors, which is great for the sport and the viewers.
Just like IndyCars have special specification cars for ovals, F1 should have special specification cars for Monaco: extend breaking distances by removing wings and using different braking discs. That would be enough to secure many overtaking opportunities.
Weird Science
28th May 2024, 15:24
As others have said, the early red flag pretty much got rid of any possible excitement as it took away the one mandatory in-race pit stop.
For tracks where it’s very difficult to overtake, the teams should have to run all three tyre compounds during the race – so at least two pit stops. Or add one or two mandatory 3 second stops in addition to the mandatory tyre stops based on the previous overtaking stats of the track. Not ideal but it would mean you could keep historic tracks like Monaco and add at least a touch of excitement.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
29th May 2024, 0:38
Thinking about it, if we still had refuelling this wouldn’t have happened.
f1andrea
28th May 2024, 16:35
Love you Keith. 1000% agree
Jere (@jerejj)
28th May 2024, 16:46
I’m once again against the idea of disallowing tyre changes during race suspensions, mainly on safety grounds, & mandating 2 or 3 pit stops would be unnecessarily gimmicky, but I like Russell’s suggestion of only using the softest compound in Monaco the best.
The standard 13 sets per driver but only for C5 would bring more pushing & strategic elements, & since Monaco already has the 260 km minimum race distance exception, no reason not to make an event-specific exception regarding tyres as well.
Alianora La Canta (@alianora-la-canta)
28th May 2024, 21:06
C5 in this case would get you 4 stops in the race, 3-6 runs in qualifying and then between 3 and 6 stints of between 3 and 15 laps each between the three practise sessions.
It would effectively be a two-day weekend ;)
Nick T.
29th May 2024, 3:21
Drivers would still likely be able to keep cars behind them starting on C5 and stopping just once for another pair of C5s. It’d still be more entertaining than a C3 to the end.
Hans Herrmann (@twentyseven)
28th May 2024, 17:23
Will, why do you draw attention to an obvious problem, red flag tyre changing rule, then dismiss any suggestion that changing that could fix the sport? You even mention that current drivers have called out this issue. They should know.
It would be a general solution and not specific to Monaco to enforce a change of tyre outside of the red flag period. The sport could be improved by increments such as this small change and it’s precisely not a knee jerk reaction if you observe a problem over a period of time and make an adjustment to improve it.
Alonslow
28th May 2024, 17:41
For the red flag issue I would do a very ‘F1’ like solution, changing tyres during a red flag doesn’t count towards the mandatory compound change unless the race is 75% complete, then it does, so if a red flag is early on the race it doesn’t count and pit stops still play a role in the race, but if is on the last 25% then it doesn’t screw up the driver who went long and had built a gap to stop.
Not completely fair it still could give a big advantage to someone fishing for a late red flag, but they’re rare enough to not really be worth it.
As for the track itself it could easily move the nouvelle chicane up the road that plus removing some of the trees around the area could give a ‘wide’ track with a bit more to go side by side for overtakes, it would still be very rare but it would be far better than the current one.
If you wanna go crazy then modify the tunnel to make it wider and more straight and there you have your overtake spot, F1 is never gonna do the ‘special smaller car’ stuff so may as well take a look at track improvements, Montecarlo itself is already expanding the area around maybe the track could do the same.
bull mello (@bullmello)
28th May 2024, 17:41
Agreed Keith. Some races are quite boring. Sometimes passing is nearly impossible.
So true. We used to see some passing in Monaco with smaller F1 cars. It could happen with changes for the future.
Monaco is a special place to visit, especially with a F1 race. F1 cars are designed to race on all of the different courses, including Monaco. The history of F1 racing at Monaco goes back to 1950. Even before F1, The Monaco Grand Prix started in 1929. We need to save this jewel in F1 racing.
In 1980 I walked the streets of Monte Carlo thinking of the Monaco Grand Prix on the streets where I walked there. The race happened a couple of months before I was in Monaco. (Carlos Reutemann won in 1980.) It gave me chills dreaming about watching the race on these streets. I watch it every year.
Some people complain about the Monaco Grand Prix. Not me. It is special.
“F1 needs to look at the big picture.”
Neil (@neilosjames)
28th May 2024, 18:33
I think permitting a change of tyres when there’s a red flag, especially now we have the standing starts, should be kept most of the time. To me, that’s the ‘least bad’ option considering the alternatives and presents the lowest chance of individual drivers being unduly impacted by someone else’s mistake/problem.
But when everyone has fresh tyres at the start of a race, I think it’s a different thing altogether… they could just shove in a little line saying ‘you can’t change tyres, other than for safety reasons, if the red flag occurs within 3 laps of the race start’ to avert any repeats of Sunday.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
29th May 2024, 0:58
Better yet, you can change tyres, but it won’t count as a mandatory stop if it’s too early with a red flag.
sam
28th May 2024, 18:46
Just extend the track, Down to Nice and back should do it.
Alianora La Canta (@alianora-la-canta)
28th May 2024, 21:05
The tyre change under red flag rule is there for safety, and there may very well have been punctures off the restart had the rule not been in place, due to the Alpine tangle. That would have been not only more dangerous but also more dull (except for people who like crashes).
I don’t regard last weekend as a problem. It was a different, more cerebral kind of entertainment, that was a throwback to part of what got me into F1 in the first place.
However, if it really is a problem to have races like last weekend, a good solution would simply be to make the rule “you must have one green-flag change of tyre compound every dry race, as measured by when you entered the pit lane”, rather than the current “you must use two compounds every dry race”. For most races, it would be the same difference, but the types of races where the effect is most likely to be nulled (most commonly (Virtual) Safety Cars would instead get, in many cases, an extra layer of strategy because teams would have to balance 1 extra stop in the race and a slower restart versus 2 extra stops in the race and a faster restart.
F1 in Figures (@f1infigures)
28th May 2024, 21:13
@alianora-la-canta It may be a good idea to only count green-flag compound changes. However, what if someone decides to pit at the end of the race and the race finishes under yellow?
MacLeod (@macleod)
29th May 2024, 7:52
Very simple changing tyres doesn’t count if it’s not during green flag so he has to stop or get disqualified. Even if it finished under yellow the driver should change before that or risk DSQ.
But just a small change in the rules changing tyres during red flag doesn’t count (so you can change for safety) and have to do a mandory change.
F1 in Figures (@f1infigures)
28th May 2024, 21:30
We had the same discussion 13 years ago, when a late-race restart allowed Vettel to get rid of his very worn tires, after which he easily won the race. At the time, this was seen as the lesser of the evils, as not allowing tire changes could be dangerous (in case of punctures/changeable weather). I think that’s a fair point.
The article seems to suggest that without the mandatory tire change the race got less interesting. Yes, the pit stops mix up the race a bit and may even lead to permanent position changes, but is that really exciting? This time we actually got different strategies, which could have led to some on-track overtakes had the cars not been so big. The cars are the problem, not the lack of tire stops. In fact, I think the races could be more interesting without the mandatory tire change, as this rule usually forces drivers to run very similar 1-stop strategies.
Bullfrog (@bullfrog)
28th May 2024, 22:28
Williams showed us what was possible with their genius strategy for Sargeant: sending him out again on hard tyres so he had to stop again. And that achieved: not a lot – a pass for 15th place or something. Same with drivers like Bottas, Hamilton and Verstappen, who stopped and just caught up with the same queue again.
Yaru (@yaru)
29th May 2024, 7:29
Everyone including the FIA knows the car weight and sjze are the problem but it’s hard to keep the safety improvement and increasingky electrified hybrid units without them being like this. For 2026, they’re trying to make the cars smaller and lighter for that reason……whether they succeeded who knows though.
Bullfrog (@bullfrog)
28th May 2024, 22:16
Skinny wheels and tyres just for Monaco, like the Monte Carlo Rally when it snows. Might even look a bit like the 50s & 60s races from Monaco Historique (where they race very politely, but they do get side-by-side). Or a soapbox race – the bad news is Red Bull, with their years of experience, would still win.
Riker (@corsair)
28th May 2024, 22:37
F1 is a mess.
The first step to tidying it up is to reduce the size of the cars.
Yaru (@yaru)
29th May 2024, 7:30
Yes they’re attempting to do that in 2026 chassis rules without compromising the improvements in safety and hybrid power units.
Thecollaroyboys (@thecollaroyboys)
28th May 2024, 23:20
To be honest, Monaco is a pretty ordinary race to visit as a fan too. Sure it’s pretty and historic but in my experience the viewing is not great, the access around the track is quite poor, screens are not always where you’d expect them to be, and the food and entertainment options are limited compared to other tracks. This is my experience as a Johnny lunch pack, grandstand ticket buyer. Yes, things get more interesting and “glamorous” when you spend more money but tickets are expensive enough.
All that and to have an almost guaranteed dull race. It’s a once for me.
Singapore and Abu Dhabi have facilities far, far better than Monaco can ever dream of, Sepang had unparalleled viewing, but Suzuka is a “fans” track where you’re not crowded out by corporates on free tickets who couldn’t give a crap about F1 (Melbourne to an extent, and also Singapore).
I don’t mind that Monaco is on the calendar so much, but as a race TV viewer and occasional ticket holder it leaves a lot to be desired.
Vij
28th May 2024, 23:33
For Monaco, put them in F1A cars to cross promote that series.
Or historic replicas with no downforce and modern safety. Or karts. Or minis. Or F3 or F2 or GT3 or city busses or any one of dozens of better and smaller machinery options.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
29th May 2024, 1:03
I don’t really like seeing spa 2021 being mentioned as a horrid race btw, if there’s anything horrid is the coward approach of recent f1: they raced in 1989 in similar conditions at the same track (there were senna, prost and mansell, for example), they raced in 1998 in similar conditions at the same track (there were schumacher, hakkinen, hill, for example) and spa 2021 could’ve also been a great race, if only they let them, perhaps only 10 drivers would’ve finished, it’s not like we don’t have plenty of races where everyone or almost everyone finishes nowadays.
Joe (@jb784)
29th May 2024, 1:35
If only a fraction of the effort expended on the worthless sprint race gimmick had been spent on tidying up this odd contradiction of F1’s racing rules.
Yes Keith.
Jim from US (@jimfromus)
29th May 2024, 1:53
Tire change or other repair during red flag should result in those drivers starting from the pits on the restart.
DB-C90 (@dbradock)
29th May 2024, 3:55
Perhaps if they allowed drivers to forcefully overtake any car in front that’s running several seconds off the pace without penalising them might actually result in someone attempting to pass.
Far too often drivers just sit behind the car in front bemoaning the fact that it’s hard to pass instead of actually attempting one. Think about Danny Ric chasing down Hamilton after RBR screwed him over with the tyre fiasco- he didn’t get the pass but those laps where he harried Hamilton’s gearbox & eventually forced him into an error was about as exciting as it can get.
Too many on the grid just rely on DRS – not just at Monaco but elsewhere – until they learn the art of racing hard again (and stewards stop penalising those that do)we’re going to see more of this.
Yaru (@yaru)
29th May 2024, 7:25
Um if a rear car can’t pass a slower car in front of them, that’s on the rear car. Nothing in the rules prevents them for passing as long as you don’t force them off track or cause a collision, which are fair rules.
As for people “forcing an attempt to pass”, K-Mag and Ocon did just that and look at the results. You want more of that?
Nitzo (@webtel)
29th May 2024, 7:14
I say keep Monaco on the circuit but make it a sprint-race-only-weekend. Have one conventional sprint with sprint qualifying etc. Have one reverse grid sprint on Sunday.
This way, they don’t get rid of Monaco (heritage etc) and they can use this as sort of an experimental bed to try out new formats. Also, the boredom is limited to about 30 mins.
PT
29th May 2024, 8:51
Making cars narrower just for them to race at Monaco, Keith? I don’t agree. Formula 1 cars look the most attractive they’ve ever been, with the wide track and fatter tyres. And, in recent years, there has been more action on-track at many venues generally though the ones you’ve singled out have been relatively boring. The current generation of F1 Cars can overtake a lot better than before. As you said, F2, F3 and Formula E cars race much better at Monaco. So let’s leave it that way. Times change, tracks come and go – F1 has outgrown Monaco. It needs to go. Even the Macau Guia circuit provides more overtaking opportunities than Monaco. Heritage has its place, but not everything can be compromised in the name of heritage. F1 no longer races at the Nordschleife, another venue dripping with heritage. Safety is the reason for that. And boredom is the reason Monaco should go. There is no point in have a “race” that’s actually a procession. Why not award points based on qualifying alone? Why bother to have a race?
cdfemke (@cdfemke)
29th May 2024, 21:58
vegas comes to mind too
Steve Rogers (@beeflin)
30th May 2024, 10:17
But I don’t find it boring. That speed on those roads? The skill and concentration needed to avoid the barriers for 2 hours? Even the odd strategies. I’m sure I’m not the only one to love this race for irs own character. Never mind the hype and pomp, it’s cool.