A simple rule change may make the Monaco Grand Prix exciting again.
Another processional Monaco Grand Prix has naturally sparked debate about what Formula One should do to boost interest in the principality.
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-24; Oscar Piastri, McLaren MCL38; Carlos Sainz, Ferrari SF-24; Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38; George Russell, Mercedes F1 W15; the remainder of the field at the start.
As F1 technology has increased in size and weight, it is apparent that the cars have exceeded the legendary streets’ ability to provide exhilarating wheel-to-wheel racing.
On occasion, there have been suggestions for changes to the layout in order to create a good overtaking opportunity someplace.
Ideas have ranged from maybe altering the Nouvelle chicane (could it be made wider and sharper, making it a passing place?) to actually building some new corners.
One frequently discussed idea is for vehicles to turn left at Portier, run down the roads along the coastline for a short distance before returning for a considerably longer straight (and DRS zone) into the chicane.
When asked about the possibility of a course redesign, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said: “Monaco keeps reclaiming land, so I think it’s something we as a team and Formula 1 should look into because it’s such a great place.”
“There is a lot of history here, yet everything evolves. I believe that autos are becoming increasingly large. When compared to cars from ten years ago, they’re nearly twice the size, so it’s something we need to look at collectively – as a sport with the promoter – to see how we can just introduce an overtaking chance.”
However, making a radical adjustment such as adding more corners would not only be extremely expensive, but it would also not ensure any improvement in racing.
Overtaking is difficult in modern F1, and there are numerous venues – just look at Imola the week before – where passing opportunities are few.
This year’s Monaco Grand Prix was particularly procesional due to the circumstances surrounding the lap-one red flag.
It basically turned the race into a supreme tyre management no-stopper, with the goal of racing as slow as possible to avoid having to change tyres.
As George Russell, who lapped considerably behind the leaders, conceded, there was nothing to gain from going faster because all that was at stake was trouble later in the race.
Monaco is not the only place where tyre strategy has derailed the potential for thrills. F1 has been hampered numerous times in recent years by an early safety car forcing the first stop long before teams would prefer, and the race then devolves into extreme management to ensure everyone makes it to the finish – which is not very entertaining.
As F1 has learned, the key to producing a successful race and overtaking is to maintain a performance disparity between the cars at various periods of the grand prix, which is best accomplished through tyre strategy.
Monaco has nearly always been a one-stopper due to the circuit’s modest energy needs, which allow the current tyres to endure the entire race and make the undercut useless.
That means there are very few strategy offset options, as well as a distinct lack of the type of hazard found in other locations where automobiles are burning rubber.
After the race, Lewis Hamilton was quick to point out that the root of the problem was tyres.
“Ultimately, I think our tyres can do a whole race,” he stated. “This tyre compound is excessively hard. You’ve got to find ways to spice it up a little more, like making three stops mandatory.”
Forcing drivers to make multiple stops, on the other hand, may be perceived as overly contrived, and could even turn the race into a lottery given the effort required to secure those grid spots right at the front.
However, Hamilton’s teammate Russell has proposed a more basic and reasonable method to guarantee that Monaco never sees another race like the one we saw last weekend.
“I think if we only brought soft tyres,” replied the man. “A soft tyre would not last the full race. And you could even need to make two stops. Someone might try one-stop shopping. I believe spending the entire weekend on softs would fix a lot of problems.”
He is completely correct. Having only soft rubber would be difficult to handle and would result in a variety of various strategies up and down the pitch, from those who chose to go flat out in the assumption that extra stints on fresh rubber are preferable to’slow and steady’ and not requiring that extra stop. Tyre performance offsets could even allow for some passing, with a powerful undercut.
There would be more opportunities for teams to take risks and be aggressive with their stops, and drivers would be unable to bolt on tyres at the start of the race and expect to finish without stopping.
A change would also not necessitate the expenditure of millions of dollars on new corner construction, sophisticated simulations, or FIA homologation.
Instead, it may be done with a simple decision at the Sporting Advisory Committee and then the F1 Commission to include a rule modification into the regulations that only applies to this one race.
F1’s Sporting Regulations already include a Monaco clause that allows the race to be run at 260km rather than 305km everywhere else, so why not add a specific rule stating that, for this one race only, F1 will not bring the mandatory three compounds that are used everywhere else and will only run softs?
Few people would object to such a notion, especially because it couldn’t make things any less thrilling than what was on display last weekend.
Max Verstappen stated that he is open to trying new things: “Overall, the weekend was extremely amazing; however, Sunday was a touch boring.
“But the scenery is still fantastic. Why not improve our racing abilities? “That would be my preferred solution.”
