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Our verdict on ex-F1 driver’s new plan to fix Monaco [ad-free]

🕑 Added 2025-05-27 15:54:27 +0000 UTC

Comments

Vin Narayan

Is there any discussion for adding a battery overtaking zone in the tunnel next year? For safety they cant do it as a DRS zone now, but that equation changes with power based overtaking rather than aero next year

Tony Geran

Not sure about moving the chicane reprofiling Rascasse makes more sense. Watch the B1M on YouTube about the new development at Portier shows that simply dumping rocks into the harbour to make more “earth” isn’t on in the current environmental political climate.

Michael Sharpe

F1 purist here...I still think there's a lot of mental effort into making this a better race. I get it. I just wish we would stop saying that Monaco is so great when objectively its the worst GP of the year from a racing perspective. Once we all admit that, then talking about options to replace or fix it get easier. Being adamant that its the best Grand Prix on the calendar is part of the problem. I like the idea of changing the format of the Monaco GP entirely. It's already basically a one-off race anyway with each team coming with a Monaco spec car. And with the modern addition of the Sprint Races, as some others have pointed out, there's no reason why making the Monaco weekend a special F1 event weekend wouldn't be equally fantastic. I've heard time trials, double elimination weekends, reverse qualification order, etc. I think that's where the conversation should be heading...not changing the track layout on the margins. You will still be restricted by the narrow streets of Monaco in cars that are massive.

David Smith

In Forumula E they have good Monaco races. Its the cars that need to be made smaller and lighter. That would help alot.

crimkingson

I do think the pedestrian access issue would kill the proposed changes to the hairpin. Making conditions for tourists worse 50 weeks a year to get a marginal benefit to one event seems like a very bad ROI on such a project.

David Saiya

I agree that Saturday is one of the most spectacular qualifying sessions of the year, however I don't feel this means that we can stop exploring options to improve the race on Sunday

Franz Hermann

Another option is to change Monaco into a two-day double elimination qualifying competition (bracket style). Since Monaco is a qualifying spectacle, it would put the emphasis on turning out the best lap possible. All contests are done two cars at a time and timed at 8-minutes per session. Each driver completes two push laps per contest. Day 1 - Remove bottom 10 Day 2 - Top 10 Same points awarded as in a typical GP. Since overtaking is the prime issue, let’s just highlight what makes Monaco amazing. Fast laps!

Alex97

I like how these are actually sensible, lasting changes and not just reactive suggestions to recent issues. Do you think if the changes were made to the hairpin and the chicane it would create the opportunity for a driver to force an opponent to defend into the hairpin and then compromise their run all the way to the chicane and therefore have an even better chance of overtaking them there, especially if the chicane entrance is lengthened and tightened?

Strawberry Shortarse

Unpopular view this one, F1 now has 23 other races a year for entertaining racing on a Sunday. The unique driving challenges that come with old circuits are slowly being diluted more and more, Monaco is the onky true old school challenges left. Weather aside the race is usually won with the most spectacular qualifying lap of the year on Saturday. I can take one that 1 out of 24 times