Why the Monaco GP is Still Relevant & why Sprint Races would work here

Is Monaco too tight and narrow for modern F1 cars?

The racing is always boring. You can’t overtake. Should F1 still visit Monaco?

We hear these questions every year. For some, it’s labourious and tiresome. After all, we don’t visit Monaco for the most exciting racing of the year, in the same way we don’t visit the Hungaroring for the glitz and glamour (sorry Hungarian’s). We visit the Principality for the history and prestige the event brings.

While it is easy to say that the race just comes down to Qualifying, that’s ignoring the skill it takes to even get there. On a street circuit with narrow road and punishing walls, you cannot afford to make a mistake from the start of Practice. A crash in FP3 could throw out your whole qualifying preparation and if you’re Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen or Charles Leclerc, that could be the difference between pole and tenth. After all, Monaco is the shortest track of the year in terms of distance at just 2.15 miles, it’s hard to make up time.

Qualifying isn’t the end of the story either as Daniel Ricciardo proved in 2016 when a crucial pitstop error cost the Australian a shot at victory. Ricciardo would get revenge in 2018, taking the flag for Red Bull, though this remains his last win to date as he would announce his move to Renault just 3 months later, seeing his results tail off due to the lack of Red Bull support. Now in a McLaren team that’s experiencing a result renaissance he’ll be looking to continue the form he started to show glimpses of at Barcelona, last time out.

Two weeks ago, the talk was of Formula E making a return to Monaco and, for the first time, using the full layout. In doing so, FE also managed to shake off the old adage of never being able to pass at Monaco. On paper, the top five drivers finishing in the same top five positions didn’t look that thrilling, but that misses the story underneath, including Antonio Felix Da Costa’s last lap pass as Mitch Evans, who himself lost out in a drag race to the line with Robin Frijns. It was a move reminiscent of Antoine Hubert outdragging Louis Deletraz in an identical move for the FIA Formula 2 Sprint Race win in 2019.

So what? Other series can have exciting racing at Monaco, but F1 can’t?

The 1996 race, which had the fewest ever finishers and the 2004 race, which saw Fisichella flip upside down, Michael Schumacher crash under safety car and Jarno Trulli win, will be proof that Monaco can still provide excitement throughout. Even in the Modern-era we have talked about Ricciardo, while displays of supreme defensive driving such as Nigel Mansell on Ayrton Senna and Verstappen on Hamilton in 2019 captured the publics imagination.

But again. Monaco is not about the racing, it’s the prestige of the event. But it’s more than that. It’s the survival.

There was talk of the new Sprint Race format not working at Monaco, but I disagree. Formula 3 in Macau uses this format to build up to the big finale Grand Prix for a reason. If you qualified on pole you’re still expected to win come Sunday night, but as Macau is so unforgiving, any mistake or damage can severely hinder your chances. During the infamous 2017 race, podium finisher Ralf Aron had ended qualifying 17th, while eventual winner Dan Ticktum started the finale in 8th having lost places in the qualifying race.

Monaco could benefit from this. After all, it’s a circuit all of the teams know. A Thursday qualifying might “set the order”, but a more limited tyre set could force drivers to run on lower performing tyres for the end of the GP-proper. Plenty of other commentators have already talked about a qualifying immediately after an 1 hour practice puts pressure on the teams and that could be to some teams disadvantage.

Would it create more overtaking. Not necessarily, but on a circuit where track-position is key, how many would gamble new tyres and DRS in exchange for the initial position. After all, as much as the audience bemoan, when circumstances are far from equal, you can pass into the first corner or Nouvelle chicane and that’s without considering dive bombs into the Hairpin or La Rascasse as demonstrated by Charles Leclerc in 2019.

The pressure from quicker drivers behind. The skill to not only keep them behind you, but keep your own car on the track. That is what has made so many Monte Carlo specials exciting.

A common complaint from Anti-DRS Die Hards is that it makes overtaking too easy. The challenge comes in the negotiation, not the chase. Monaco is a perfect example of this. It’s easy to catch, it’s not so easy to get past.

Now I am perfectly aware that like all other races holding Sprint Races, the Saturday race likely won’t be that exciting. In fact, I’m almost betting on it. The exception will come from those who screwed up qualifying and need to fight their way through. This though, should only further hype up the importance of the Grand Prix and provide an important strategy call for the drivers about which pair of tyres they wish to sacrifice for the Sprint and how it will affect Sunday.

There were questions following Barcelona qualifying regarding Mercedes decision to waste an extra set of Soft tyres on Saturday. This though paid off on Sunday when Hamilton was able to use his spare pair of Mediums to pull off a blinding two-stop strategy. A Monaco Sprint Race format would require teams to make these calls from Thursday ensuring the entire weekend remains relevant. Would gunning for the Sprint Race win by destroying a soft set of tyres be worth it for the track position it’d give you on Sunday.

This of course opens the door to Pirelli being stricter on tyre sets used. Bringing Macau back, that infamous 2017 win from Dan Ticktum was only made possible after Sergio Sette Camara spent the middle part of the Grand Prix pulling out a gap to the field behind, losing his tyres in the latter stages creating a showdown between himself and the now-faster Ferdinand Habsburg. Eventually, heartbreak for both at the final corner allowed Dan through for his first of back-to-back wins.

Even winding back to the last F1 race in Monaco, an early safety car on Lap 11 saw the the leaders forced to pit with Hamilton on quickly deteriorating Medium tyres. He would spend the next 66 laps defending hard from a fired up Max Verstappen who needed to get in front to eliminate his five second penalty for an unsafe release.

What followed was one of Hamilton’s most vocal ever displays of tyre lamenting as he appeared to beg his team to let him pit, only to turn around after the flag and announce he or the team had no plans to come back in. A repeat of this powerplay between those who saved tyres for the end of the race and those with track position could be exactly what the Jewel in the F1 Crown needs.

For a race that is meant to be a unique and characterful visit on the calendar, Monaco should provide a unique and different challenge that the other Grand Prix’s do not. F1 will forever remain too wide and aerodynamic to ever make Monaco truly interesting, but in a era dominated by Pirelli preservation, why not make Monaco the King of the long life.