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analysis why monaco no longer belongs on f1 calendar

Time for a logical decision: Time to say goodbye to the Monaco Grand Prix!

26 May at 20:00
14
  • Ludo van Denderen

Thanks to the lack of overtaking, the 2024 Monaco Grand Prix will go down in the books as one of the most boring races ever in Formula 1. It became painfully clear once again that a street race in Monte Carlo really can no longer be done. Formula 1 (and owner Liberty Media) can really only make one (admittedly tough) decision: after the current contract expires, Monaco must disappear from the F1 calendar.

Max Verstappen was two, sometimes three seconds faster per lap than George Russell. At any other circuit, it would have been a breeze for the Dutchman to pass the Mercedes driver with such a huge speed difference. But this was Monaco, where overtaking, as so often, proved absolutely impossible. Whatever the Red Bull Racing driver did, there was no getting through.

Monaco does not fit Liberty Media's vision

Yes, pictures from the helicopter were stunning. But Formula 1 is all about hard racing and lots of fight. None of that can be delivered in Monaco, surely Formula One Management and Liberty Media must have seen that on Sunday? Since Liberty Media took over Formula One's commercial rights from Bernie Ecclestone, the sport has boomed. F1 is fresh and relevant again, largely thanks to Liberty Media's changed strategy, focusing on a younger audience. Above all, Formula 1 should be entertainment these days, see the races in Las Vegas for example.

From this point-of-view, a Grand Prix on the Circuit de Monaco no longer fits in with Liberty Media's vision at all: year after year, this race proves that it is above all an extremely boring parade that cannot captivate millions of viewers at home. The drivers also complain (rightly so). For instance, Max Verstappen grumbled during the race this Sunday that it was so boring, he really should have brought a cushion.

Artificial interventions? Don't!

Lewis Hamilton previously expressed his views on how soporific the Monaco Grand Prix is these days. For example, the seven-time world champion suggested making two pit stops per driver compulsory at this race. The introduction of a special Pirelli tyre for Monaco can also be considered; one with a lot of wear so that drivers have to hit the pits several times anyway, shaking up the field.

But these are artificial solutions, which at their core are not going to change the major problem - not being able to overtake. So precisely at a time when TV viewers need to be constantly enthralled, the logical solution is to quit the Monaco Grand Prix. Of course, it is a historic venue. But times change and sometimes painful decisions have to be made then. F1 no longer can escape that.