The Monaco Grand Prix has long been Formula 1’s most iconic race.
Although the main event on Sunday has tended to be processional, it hasn’t always been without drama, whether due to rain, strategy blunders or crashes. And Saturday’s qualifying hour has invariably been one of the most thrilling of the year precisely because the likely reward for capturing pole position is so high.That will change this year as F1 has decided the race should be run to different tyre rules than every other round of the championship. It’s likely to create the opportunity for more changes of position through the pits, if not on the track. Whether you welcome it or not, expect the rule tweak to be a focus of attention this weekend.
Do more tyre changes fix everything?
F1’s new Monaco-only rule is its knee-jerk reaction to last year’s processional race. A first-lap red flag allowed drivers to complete their mandatory tyre change immediately, and thereafter they circulated behind Charles Leclerc without a single change of position in the top 10.
“This year we have a red flag on the first lap, and everyone has automatically made their pit stop,” said F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali afterwards. “We must not let that happen again. We must anticipate such scenarios better and cover them with the rules.”
But anyone who took that to mean F1 was finally going to prevent drivers from completing their mandatory pit stops under red flag conditions, which has been spoiling races and aggravating unlucky drivers for years, was to be disappointed. Instead it has brought in a special rule, for the Monaco Grand Prix only, forcing drivers to use at least three different sets of tyres. The upshot is, drivers will have to change tyres twice instead of once in Monaco.
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The rule is not only arbitrary, but illogical. It creates a nonsensical situation in which, at the track where tyre degradation is lower than anywhere else and the race distance is shorter than anywhere else, teams must use more tyres than anywhere else.
The series has a track record of adopting rules which immediately produce unintended consequences and have to be revised or dropped. Has F1 fixed any bugs in its latest brainwave in advance, or has it dreamed up another blunder to rival elimination qualifying and double points finales?
As with sprint races, if F1 had real confidence in this change, it would have implemented it for every race. Whether it will ‘work’ by any definition remains to be seen. F1 should heed the words of last year’s winner: “We’ve got to be open-minded,” said Leclerc. “We need to see if that actually makes a difference or not and be open to change back if that’s not the right solution.”
Are Red Bull still weak on the streets?
He finished second in Singapore last year. He was far behind dominant winner Norris, but was this nonetheless the beginning of a change in form for Red Bull on bumpy, slow courses?
As usual, don’t expect to get a read on this until Saturday. Red Bull have tended to lap further away from their true pace on Fridays at events this year than most of their rivals, most notably McLaren.
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Leclerc’s woes
Last year’s Monaco Grand Prix winner returns home knowing his chance of repeating his victory is not great. The Ferrari is competitive in race trim, but less so in qualifying, and that is the opposite of the properties required to be competitive in Monaco.
With the field so close, it’s entirely possible Ferrari will find themselves in a fight to reach Q3 again.
Have Aston Martin made a breakthrough?
However that figure may be flattered by the fact they set their fastest times in qualifying last week on the medium tyre compound. Unusually, that proved quicker over a single lap than the soft tyre which most teams used. Those teams avoided qualifying on the medium tyre because they wanted to avoid the very strategic trap that Aston Martin fell into in the grand prix, where their drivers fell out of the top 10 and failed to score points.
As ever, Monaco is not a great guide to how competitive teams are. But if the AMR25 is up to it, watch out for fireworks from Fernando Alonso in qualifying as he bids to end his 2025 points drought.
Rain in qualifying?
Monaco is challenging enough in the dry but drivers may face the added complication of rain this weekend. Some forecasts put the chances of rain on Saturday as high as 50% in the hours before qualifying. However this is likely to be a brief shower and it may well pass before the decisive session begins.
There is a slightly lower chance of rain during the three qualifying sessions but a sunny day is expected for the 82nd Monaco Grand Prix.
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F1’s missing qualifying rule?
Any F2 or F3 drivers who cause red flags in qualifying sessions can lose their fastest lap times as a penalty. This happened to Kush Maini when he crashed at Imola last week, triggering red flags which prevented several drivers from being able to complete their final qualifying laps.
The absence of a similar rule in F1 looks increasingly strange as it becomes more familiar in its junior categories. Expect it to come up again if we see a repeat of the Monaco qualifying dramas of 2022, 2021, 2014 or 2006.
Are you going to the Monaco Grand Prix?
If you’re heading to Monaco for this weekend’s race, we want to hear from you:
Who do you think will be the team to beat in the Monaco Grand Prix? Have your say below.
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2025 Monaco Grand Prix
- Norris predicts his Monaco pole record should stand “for a very long time”
- Bearman is right: Formula 1 should let Monaco be Monaco
- Wurz’s proposed Monaco track changes would make ‘1 to 5%’ difference – Sainz
- Bortoleto claims his “put him in the wall” radio message was taken out of context
- I deserved penalty, deliberate rule breaking ‘should never be allowed’ – Russell
Leo B
21st May 2025, 13:51
I feel sure it will play into the hands of Max and Red Bull.
McLaren are not masters of strategy, not by a long chalk.
An Sionnach
21st May 2025, 14:07
I expect the C6 is a joke tyre to really mean that the medium and hard (being the soft and medium) don’t last as long. Will it be useful anywhere?
I’d like to see Aston back in there. Didn’t get to follow up on the race in much detail, but was watching Alonso move up in the standings towards the end.
The extra tyre change will mean that pole is a little less likely to be followed by the win. Considering the qualifying performances this year, many drivers could have a shot at that pole (and win). It could be a good time for a Mercedes to snatch pole. Gasly, Albon, Sainz and Hadjar could get some good points here if they qualify well, as could Bearman and Alonso if their car allows them. Maybe Ocon too, if he can get a handle on qualifying.
Tony Mansell (@tonymansell)
21st May 2025, 14:12
Loaded question but everyones allowed their view. Id take a handful of knee-jerks to make Monaco a good race. I care more about a ding dong than i do about some arbitrary purity argument, thats just my view but i dont know that an extra pit show corrupts the show more than fall apart tyres, DRS and rubbish engines
Cameron
21st May 2025, 14:21
A better solution would be to stop racing at Monaco. It’s almost always the most boring race of the season, only occasionally saved by a crash or rain.
anon
21st May 2025, 17:13
Cameron, there will be many posters who will complain about that and insist that Monaco must remain on the calendar for the sake of tradition.
MarkWebber (@markwebber)
21st May 2025, 19:56
I was going to be one of those posters, but now you’ve pointed it out, it seems unnecessary. I’ve come to the conclusion that people who have followed F1 for a long time will appreciate Monaco as one of the most important GP in the calendar, if not the most important one.
anon
21st May 2025, 20:25
@markwebber is it really that important, or is it really more of a case of successfully marketing where it relies on creating an image of importance that is sustained through the assertion of importance, rather than any substance to it?
In relying on the assertion of importance, rather than trying to put forward an argument for it, your post gives the impression that asserting a position of importance is more vital to maintaining the image of importance around the event, rather than anything to do with the race itself. Jenkinson was talking back in the 1970s about how he felt that the supposed importance of Monaco was, in many ways, more about the success of projecting a particular image about the race.
S
22nd May 2025, 9:46
As one of those people who have followed F1 for a (very) long time, I totally disagree.
It takes place the day after the most important qualifying session, for sure – but that doesn’t make the GP, or even the entire event, more valuable than any other.
The Monaco GP is the epitome of the show element of F1, as it is hardly ever a sporting contest.
Alianora La Canta (@alianora-la-canta)
21st May 2025, 18:11
Cameron, if F1 outgrows Monaco, it’s outgrown itself. Part of the reason F1 is the pinnacle of motorsport is because it tests so many different elements of a circuit racer’s skill. Removing part of that skillset for a reason not supported by the evidence (F1 Fanatic ratings, for example, indicate several tracks on the grid are consistently less exciting) would take away from the sport’s claim to be a pinnacle of the sport (even Formula E and F2 manage it, after all…).
The problems last year were that the best overtaker at Monaco didn’t get the chance to overtake anyone in 2024, and that the leading cars tended to have similar performance in qualifying versus the race. This year, there’s more difference between the cars, and I think Leclerc will have opportunity to overtake (or try to overtake) some other people.
Alan Thomson
21st May 2025, 23:46
I would take it over some stupid race in the Middle East or the U.S.
Tony Mansell (@tonymansell)
22nd May 2025, 12:51
So the solution to you not liking it is for them not to do it. Here’s an easier way, dont watch it. I do but if i miss it i dont care. I’d not dream to push my opinion on 15,000 people who work in f1 or the thousands who go to watch and millions watching on TV across the planet
Ideals (@ideals)
21st May 2025, 14:58
Worst case scenario is that it changes nothing. So why not try it.
Jere (@jerejj)
21st May 2025, 15:23
Do more tyre changes fix everything? – I’ve understood this exceptional requirement to be solely about mandating the use of all three compounds in a fully dry race rather than a physical set amount, especially as not every single driver (especially those who reach Q3) might necessarily even have more than two viable sets left for lengthy stint use in the race.
Of course, this one-off requirement is only applicable to dry conditions, just like the standard one, rather than being something that’s applicable regardless of weather conditions, not that rain is likely to affect the race in any case.
Are Red Bull still weak on the streets? – Probably again unless Max somehow manages to pull off a magical lap in qualifying.
Leclerc’s woes – Ferrari could indeed struggle to reach Q3 again & even if they reach Q3, they’re still unlikely to beat the McLarens, Max, or Mercedes on pure pace based on the recent form, so I don’t expect much from Leclerc either.
Have Aston Martin made a breakthrough? – Too early to judge based on one round.
The Spanish GP will give a clearer idea.
Rain in qualifying? – In the end, rain probably won’t materialize any more than on the Miami GP race day.
F1’s missing qualifying rule? – Nothing is missing regarding this matter. F1 is the only sensible series on this front.
Surprisingly, no one complained about Colapinto’s costly error in Q2, even though some were directly affected, most notably Bearman.
People should just accept that suspension-inducing errors are inevitable from time to time.
Otherwise, either qualifying should be scrapped altogether, or it should return to the 2003-05 single-lap format if genuine errors when pushing on the limit to be as fast as possible are an overly bad thing.
KaIIe (@kaiie)
21st May 2025, 16:30
Only two compounds are still mandatory to use (in a dry race), unless I’m reading the FIA regs completely wrong.
Jere (@jerejj)
21st May 2025, 17:00
That’s the idea I’ve also gotten recently, but all in all, this rule’s precise application has been somewhat vague the whole time.
Mandating the use of all three compounds would be easy since that’d automatically guarantee at least two pit stops, but mandating three different sets at least does the same.
MichaelN
21st May 2025, 16:25
Nothin about Pirelli makes much sense, so it’s all a bit ‘whatever’. These tyres are a joke, everyone knows it. The usage is wasteful, the temperature sensitivity is insane after nearly 15 years of failing to improve it, and the longevity of compounds frequently seems to be a surprise to even Pirelli themselves. So if they make one or five stops, it’s not going to fix the fundamental issue, namely that the tyres are inadequate for F1 and managing them is far too important for what is essentially a spec part.
The qualifying rule mentioned is silly. Drivers don’t crash on purpose, they crash because they’re on the absolute limit in qualifying. Mistakes happen, and everyone is free to put in a banker lap early on. The once in a decade example of where someone maybe did something untoward can, if proven, just be penalized for unsportsmanlike behaviour, as Norris was last year in Canada.
Jere (@jerejj)
21st May 2025, 17:04
I couldn’t agree more regarding the latter paragraph.
The greatly isolated example of Michael Schumacher deliberately causing yellows in the 2006 qualifying indeed shows that any sort of deliberate act gets penalized for unsportsmanlike behaviour anyway, which is enough.
Norris’ case in last year’s Canadian GP was about something other than causing suspension or caution in qualifying, as it was about leaving an excessively big gap to the car ahead under SC, but still a noteworthy example regarding unsportsmanlike conduct.
Coventry Climax
21st May 2025, 17:21
Again, the simplest rule change would have been to add the words “under racing conditions” to the tyre usage rules. Would have brought identical results, and would have been the same on any circuits too.
This just feels like adding a hot air balloon to a jet fighter that was misdesigned and can’t fly anyway – as do almost all FiA rules.
Keith Campbell (@keithedin)
21st May 2025, 18:33
I’m pretty neutral on the new tyre change rule. It doesn’t fix the fundamental issue that modern F1 cars simply can’t race effectively at Monaco, but I suppose it does increase the window for something to happen in the race from a couple of laps up to 3 or 4. Maybe there will be other curveballs if drivers decide to try more extreme strategies like pitting on the first or last lap.
On the red flag qualifying rule – I just hope not see any red flags this year in Q3 as there have frequently been in recent years. However, if there is then I hope that will prompt them to use the sensible rule already applied to F2 and F3 in future events.
Bullfrog (@bullfrog)
21st May 2025, 21:16
I hope there are 2 red flags to make a nonsense of their new rule (but they get on with it, so I can watch the footy which kicks off two hours later).
Aston Martin are stuffed because they’ll have to use two tyres that aren’t medium.
Johns
22nd May 2025, 4:15
Monoco should be turned into a gokart racewith max and lando as headliner
F1 in Figures (@f1infigures)
22nd May 2025, 6:13
Am I the only one who liked last year’s race here? At the beginning of the race, Leclerc was driving so carefully that he almost got passed by Piastri. Later in the race, gaps started to appear, which allowed drivers to change tires and attack the drivers on old tires. While eventually there were no passes in the top 6, I thought it was more exciting than in the usual situation, when there is some shuffling with the pit-stops, but after this everyone is essentially on the same tires and nothing happens.
Coventry Climax
22nd May 2025, 19:30
That’s not for me to answer, as I don’t discuss or evaluate with all the others(?) whether they liked this race.
But you could check the ‘Rate the race’ poll for this one. You’d still not have a valid statistical sample size though.
That said, I do indeed doubt you’re with a majority.
F1 in Figures (@f1infigures)
23rd May 2025, 13:51
Monaco is never rated very highly, as there is little on-track action. I’m surprised many people seem to prefer random pit-lane overtakes over this happy accident that maximized the likelihood of actually seeing some overtaking.
Webbo (@webbo82)
22nd May 2025, 9:16
‘Have McLaren’s wings been clipped by the stewards?’ is for me a bigger talking point
StephenH
22nd May 2025, 14:23
Imagine Sauber pitting Hulkenberg on Laps 1 & 3, and Borteletto on Laps 2 & 4.