The best Saturday of the year? Why F1 Monaco has to accept it that way

– The Monaco Grand Prix is a strong contender for the most boring race of the year, and 2026 will be no exception. But the magic of Monaco remains a unique experience, especially right at the track, and the qualifying often compensates for many of the downsides.

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Just like last year, the start of the European season coincides with the most prestigious Grand Prix of all: Monaco. That means a race weekend in an iconic setting, usually breathtaking qualifying, but also a “race” that divides fans’ opinions.

This is already evident ahead of this year’s edition, both on social media and in the comment sections: The Monaco Grand Prix is often described as a dull procession, a parade that has very little to do with pure racing.

There is only one thing to say about these opinions: Without drama or rain, they hit the mark perfectly, they are absolutely correct. The drivers share this feeling as well. Max Verstappen joked during the 2024 edition, when an early red flag took away any strategic options from the race: “This is so boring, I should have brought my pillow.”

Afterwards, the Dutchman said that in his opinion, the track layout should be looked at – something for which GPDA chairman Alexander Wurz had presented concrete proposals last year.

Photo gallery: Reactions to the slow race in Monaco 2025

Among other things, he suggested widening the entry to the Loews hairpin, moving the Nouvelle Chicane further down towards Tabac to create a harder braking zone at the tunnel exit, and moving the apex of the Rascasse outward while slightly widening the track there.

Although these are reasonable proposals that would not fundamentally change the DNA of the track, Formula 1 and its fans may simply have to accept Monaco as it is: completely different from any other race weekend. This applies both positively and negatively.

The positive is that qualifying excites fans like nowhere else and reliably delivers one of the most thrilling Saturdays of the year. The negative is logically that Saturday determines the result, so Sunday remains little more than a formality.

Last year’s pit stop experiment

Apart from the pure layout, various other initiatives have been tried in recent years to make Sunday (artificially) more exciting.

Last year, the FIA introduced a mandatory two-stop race, also to avoid a repeat of the 2024 scenario when after an early red flag everyone changed tires and hardly any pit stops followed afterwards.

An additional advantage – at least in theory – was that Monaco’s only real source of strategic tension (whether an undercut works or not) would occur twice during the race instead of just once.

The idea behind the plan was not unfounded, but the Formula 1 teams once again proved to be cleverer than the regulators, and the FIA’s intervention led to unintended side effects.

Teammates driving one after the other on the track could help each other by deliberately slowing down to allow the leading driver one – or in extreme cases even two – free pit stops.

Deliberately slow driving obviously does not correspond to the spirit of what Formula 1 should be, and caused frustration among competitors – even to the point that George Russell cut the Nouvelle Chicane.

The experiment did bring action, but perhaps not the kind of action that Formula 1 and the FIA had hoped for.

The rule initially remained in the sporting regulations for 2026 but has since been removed again. Besides the experiences from last year, the FIA also wants to first see how the new generation of cars behaves in the Principality before taking further steps.

Franco Colapinto has already stated that the driving feel for the drivers with the new power units and reduced downforce will be completely different. However, this is unlikely to change much for the race itself.

The FIA may have introduced the current regulations as a “Nimble-Car Concept,” but the differences remain modest: 20 centimeters shorter, ten centimeters narrower, and 30 kilograms lighter. This will not suddenly trigger a wave of overtaking opportunities in Monte Carlo.

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In fact, this gets straight to the heart of the real problem. Besides the track itself, part of the problem lies with the cars. Overtaking in Monaco will always be difficult, but the size and weight that Formula 1 cars have taken on over time represent the biggest obstacle.

The 2026 chassis is a small step in the right direction, but by far not enough.

Due to increased safety requirements over the years and because of the hybrid power units, this trend proved inevitable. The only hope remains that the FIA will take another significant step to reduce the size and weight of the cars for 2031, or perhaps even earlier, combined with an engine formula that relies significantly less on electric power.

A walk along the Monaco track

But even until then, Monaco remains something special.

This applies to qualifying – and should also be the case in 2026, as energy management plays a smaller role here than on many other tracks – but even more so if you have the privilege of walking right along the track in the Principality, knowing that not everyone gets this opportunity.

Anyone wearing a photographer’s vest in Monaco and standing right behind the barriers while the cars zoom past half a meter away knows how unique this experience is. And, to be honest, how absolutely crazy the idea actually is to race Formula 1 cars through the streets of Monaco.

The walk starts at the Rascasse and goes against the direction of travel. At the swimming pool chicane, it is impressive how high the speed is when turning in and how close the cars come to the barriers – especially during qualifying runs.

From there, it continues towards Tabac, where there is a photo opening in the fence on the inside of the corner, but every attempt to use it is accompanied by an instinctive step back.

After that, it is time to head to the Nouvelle Chicane, the most famous photo spot on the track.

At the end of the barriers at the tunnel exit, near the pedestrian crossing, journalists and photographers can sit directly on the asphalt to capture the perfect picture: a car entering the first part of the chicane with the Monaco skyline in the background.

Despite the relatively low speed at this point, it remains a remarkable feeling that absolutely nothing – not even a barrier – separates the photographers from the cars.

The path then continues through the tunnel towards Portier, where even today’s power units still sound reasonably loud – which is certainly not the case anywhere outside the tunnel.

This only fuels the imagination of how incredible a V10 must have sounded here. Maybe from 2030 or 2031 at least a piece of this feeling will return, should V8 engines actually make a comeback.

At Portier, some local knowledge is required. The route briefly leaves the track before a series of steps and shortcuts bring you back near Mirabeau.

From there, you can go to the inside of the Loews hairpin, which is another wonderful place to watch Formula 1 action on a Friday or Saturday afternoon: cars literally drive around you at the slowest point of the entire calendar.

This walk takes up most of a practice session, so afterwards you can either continue towards Casino Square and take a shuttle or head back to the paddock.

Such a lap around the legendary track is enough to understand how special the Monaco Grand Prix weekend is and remains.

Yes, the race is soporific, and that will most likely not be different in 2026. But the unique setting and the breathtaking qualifying still make the most iconic Formula 1 Grand Prix in its current form worthwhile – at least from my point of view.

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