In Formula 1, the cars have gotten bigger and heavier over time. This means that racing on the tight and twisty streets of Monaco can sometimes lack the excitement of wheel-to-wheel action.
Some people think that changing the layout of the track could help make the race more thrilling. They’ve suggested ideas like making certain corners wider or even adding new corners altogether.
One idea that keeps coming up is to have the cars turn left at Portier, drive along the beach for a bit, and then head back onto the track for a longer straight. This could create more opportunities for overtaking.
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner thinks it’s worth considering changes to the track. He says, “Monaco keeps reclaiming land, so I think it’s something we collectively and Formula 1 should look at because it’s such a great place.”
However, making big changes to the track would be expensive and might not necessarily improve the racing. Overtaking is already hard in modern F1, and there are plenty of other tracks where passing is difficult.
This year’s Monaco Grand Prix was especially uneventful because of a red flag early in the race. This turned the race into a test of tire management, where the goal was to go as slow as possible to avoid needing to change tires.
Monaco isn’t the only track where tire strategy can affect the racing. Sometimes, races become less exciting because of early safety car periods or teams trying to conserve tires.
One solution could be to change the rules about tire choices for the Monaco Grand Prix. Instead of having multiple tire compounds to choose from, teams could be required to use soft tires only. This would create more opportunities for different strategies and could lead to more exciting racing.
Making this change wouldn’t require building new corners or spending a lot of money. It could be done with a simple vote by the Sporting Advisory Committee and the F1 Commission.
Many people in the F1 world are open to trying something different to make the Monaco Grand Prix more exciting. Max Verstappen says, “If we can find a way to race a bit better, why not? That would be my preferred solution.”
