Should Monaco Stay on the F1 Calendar?
The Monaco Grand Prix is one of the most prestigious events in motorsports, or even sports in general. The event attracts different brands, celebrities, and thousands of fans every year. You can see models, athletes, and actors walking up and down the paddock every year. However, in recent years, fans have requested to cut the Monaco Grand Prix from the Formula 1 calendar as it has failed to provide entertainment time a time again. Does Monaco deserve to stay?
Let’s go back to where it all started, the year 1950 when the Monaco Grand Prix first appeared on the Formula 1 calendar. Since then, the streets of Monaco held 67 races. Sixty-four of those 67 races were held consecutively between 1955 and 2019. Many legends of the sport stepped foot on the top step of the Monaco podium, including Ayrton Senna, Graham Hill, Michael Schumacher, Alain Prost, Sterling Moss, Juan Manuel Fangio, and Jackie Stewart. Other than the drivers who have participated in the race, the track itself is special on its own.
Circuit de Monaco, or Monte Carlo, is one of the most famous, if not the most famous track on the F1 calendar. The streets are narrow, twisty, and bumpy. The margin for error is almost nonexistent. Drivers need to reach 180 miles per hour between crash fences and decelerate to 70 mph in less than a second. It requires high concentration to navigate between these walls, but to do it at an average speed of 100 mph for 78 laps is a different level. Half of the circuit has stayed the same since 1950 as well, which means hundreds of drivers since the first Monaco Grand Prix have driven the same roads between turn one Saint Devote to turn nine Le Tunnel. That is why Drivers love Monaco, the history, and the challenge.
Many drivers in F1 grew up watching their idols racing around Monaco, they too dream that one day they will conquer Monte Carlo. That’s why many drivers are trying to keep Monaco on the F1 calendar. During an interview in Miami, defending world champion Max Verstappen said, “Monaco has such a history. Of course it takes time to build that.” Verstappen’s colleague Esteban Ocon agreed, saying “[Monaco is] extremely special. It has the history also behind it. And it's one way to race that you don't have anywhere else.” Valtteri Bottas also think that Monaco should say, he stated “Monaco is still always going to be in Monaco and that's because of the history and it's a different place anyway.” If drivers like it so much, why do fans want it gone from the F1 calendar?
Since F1 started implementing the Drag Reduction System(DRS) in 2011, Monaco has only averaged 11 overtakes per race. When compared to other street circuits on the calendar, Azerbaijan has 62 per race, Canada has 48, Singapore has 39, and Australia has 28. The brand new Miami Grand Prix, which underwhelmed audiences, provided 55 overtakes even with the disappointment. Monaco is also responsible for two of five races in F1 history that have no overtakes in the main race. That’s why some fans want Monaco to be removed from the F1 calendar.
The reality of an F1 calendar without Monaco could be closer than you think as the contract between F1 and Monaco to host the Monaco Grand Prix ends this year. Currently, there is no news of Monaco or F1 renewing their contract. However, the president of the Automobile Club de Monaco, which hosts the Monaco Grand Prix, Michel Boeri, said they are in talks with F1 about a new contract but he did not reveal further details. There are also rumors that F1 will rotate between tracks, making the Monaco Grand Prix a possible biannual event.
The importance of Monaco to F1 is just like the Daytona 500 to NASCAR or the Indy500 to IndyCar. It wouldn’t be a complete calendar without Monaco on the F1 calendar. It is true that some races in the past years have been subpar, but there could be improvements and Monaco is too prestigious for F1 to give up. The drivers love it and it is the perfect testing ground for new F1 drivers. The good drivers will thrive, and the bad drivers will struggle. Will Monaco survive the cut on future F1 calenders? Only time will tell, but for the time being, let's enjoy it while we have it.
