'2022 could just be the last edition of the Monaco GP'

According to journalist Joe Saward, Formula 1 could just be heading to Monaco for the last time in 2022. The Principality still does not have a contract for next year and there are said to be no talks about a new deal.

Monaco may disappear

In the Missed Apex Podcast Saward talks about the possibility that Monaco would not be on the calendar from 2023. "Which could happen. There is no contract for Monaco in Formula 1. Well there’s a contract this year. It could be the last Monaco," Saward says.

The previous deal that Monaco signed with Formula 1 dates back eleven years. At that time Bernie Ecclestone was still in power in Formula 1 and this deal he made possible. Ecclestone has not been an F1 boss for some time now since Liberty Media took over F1 in 2017.

Saward continued by saying that Formula 1 is far from liking the annual visit of Monaco. In fact, Monaco has always been on the calendar for a relatively low price in contrast to other races. "Monaco has always had a cheap fee, because it thinks it’s more important than all the other races," Saward says.

Expanding the calendar

For now, it is not certain whether Monaco will actually disappear. What is certain is that in the latest Concorde Agreement, Formula 1 established that it may host 24 races per year. With the announcement of the Las Vegas GP and the return of China and Qatar in 2023, it means that races will drop out.