The F1 solution to save BORING Monaco Grand Prix

Monaco Grand Prix

The F1 solution to save BORING Monaco Grand Prix

The F1 racing spectacle in Monaco has been heavily criticised over the years

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Friday 23 May 2025 08:58

If the Monaco Grand Prix was proposed today it wouldn’t make it onto the Formula 1 calendar. It’s as simple as that.

Imagine it. A new venue petitioning Formula One Management with a circuit where overtaking is impossible, one car just about fits into the corner and qualifying decides the race result. Stefano Domenicali would simply laugh the idea away.

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F1 has reached new heights of commercial success over the past seven years, and more countries, tracks and venues have clamoured to join the calendar with the schedule now at capacity.

However, there are still more who long for a slice of the F1 pie. Thailand, South Africa, Rwanda, and as FOM ushers in the new, it's out with the old as circuits like Imola find themselves increasingly at risk.

Out of all of the races under threat, Monaco’s name is not uttered alongside the likes of Imola or Monza, with the jewel in F1’s crown safely protected with a generous contract extension until 2031.

Monaco is incredibly lucky that it is... well Monaco…and has 75 years worth of F1 heritage to maintain its place on the calendar; but the fact is the race is consistently extremely boring. A lights-to-flag procession to entertain the super-rich and sedate those watching at home on their sofa some may say.

The sport itself has acknowledged that something needs to be done, with this year's race now featuring a mandatory two-stop in an attempt to manufacture entertainment rather than leaving it to...you know, the racing drivers!

Whilst we like to moan about Monaco, there’s really nothing that can be done to the track. The principality won't change anytime soon and you can’t exactly elongate the streets to fit modern F1 machinery.

Which is why the cars have to change.

Make F1 cars small again!

Current F1 cars are permitted a maximum width of 2000mm, and their obtrusive size is enough to deter any driver from having a go into Beau Rivage lest their front wings are knocked clean off.

But, there was a time - back in the day - when the noses of F1 cars were a little more slender, and two drivers could actually battle for position going into a corner.

Nigel Mansell offered the perfect example of this with his move on Alain Prost at the 1991 Monaco GP.

The Brit managed to close in on the Frenchman throughout the race, and once he was finally close enough, Mansell swept down the inside into the Nouvelle Chicane and overtook Prost.

Funnily enough, the cars were a lot smaller then.

Next year F1 cars will reduce in both size and weight as the 2026 regulation changes sweep the sport, with the width cut by 100mm to 1900mm in a bid to make the machinery more agile.

Whether this tweak enhances their compatibility with Monaco remains to be seen, but it's not just Monaco that is negatively impacted by the size of F1 cars - instead, it's all street circuits.

Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda couldn't even make it past lap one at this year's Saudi Arabian GP without coming together, further indication that modern F1 cars are not fit for purpose on street circuits.

As street tracks are increasingly being added to the calendar, with Madrid joining as the Spanish GP in 2026 and Miami receiving a mammoth contract extension until 2041, F1 need to think about whether the cars can actually race on these tracks.

If the sport is really committed to introducing more street races - and fundamentally if they want them to be a success - these tracks have got to be entertaining. If there's no overtaking, there's no spectacle. If cars are wider there's no overtaking.

The solution?

Make F1 cars smaller.

Written by

Sheona Mountford - F1 Journalist

Sheona Mountford is a motorsport journalist specialising in F1. As a writer and contributor, she covers a wide range of motorsport series from F1 to F1 Academy, responsible for breaking news, live race coverage and in depth analysis of the sport and the culture around it.

View full biography

McLaren FIA Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix Stefano Domenicali Imola