Can F1’s Monaco Grand Prix overtaking problem be solved?

F1 drivers have given their ideas on how you can assist the overtaking drawback on the Monaco Grand Prix.

The topic was introduced again into the highlight following a turgid race final weekend that noticed just one overtake accomplished after the opening lap, courtesy of Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll passing Nico Hulkenberg’s Sauber.

Within the wake of calls to enhance Monaco, F1 circuit designer and former racer turned GPDA (Grand Prix Drivers’ Affiliation) chairman Alex Wurz proposed three potential modifications he thinks would create overtaking alternatives.

Wurz’s concepts grew to become a sizzling matter within the Barcelona paddock forward of this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix, and drivers had been requested about their opinions after F1’s new necessary two-stop rule failed to boost the racing.

Wurz’s ‘wise’ concepts praised

Williams driver Alex Albon was amongst those that praised Wurz’s concepts as being “very wise”.

On the proposed modifications to increase the run to the Nouvelle chicane, Albon mentioned: “I feel half of the difficulty is that it’s braking downhill and it’s bumpy into that chicane. So it’s actually laborious to be that dedicated on the brakes to overhaul the automobiles.

“So that concept of getting the 80 metres and following it down the monitor to a braking space that might be flat would give drivers much more confidence to ship it on.

“I feel you’ve seen it, however as quickly as you brake late, when it’s going downhill, once you add pitch to a automobile, which is then downhill, so that you add extra pitch, you create all this additional rear limitation within the automobile.

“That’s once you get these large crashes the place automobiles lose the rear.

“So that might work nicely.”

Albon additionally recommended that drivers ought to have DRS out there into Flip 1.

“One other factor, I don’t know if F1 would ever contemplate this, however we do DRS into Flip 1,” he added. “In China and Japan, we’ve performed that and it’s as much as us to manually change it off.

“I do know they’re not likely for these items, but when we had management over the DRS, it’s as much as us, we wish to take the danger to make use of DRS by way of the tunnel, then we will flip it off after we get by way of the nook and open it again up once more as we exit.

“It may assist as nicely; so I feel there are some issues we will attempt, or a minimum of discuss.”

Small advantages in proper route

Williams teammate Carlos Sainz mentioned: “He recommended three minor modifications to, I feel it was Loews… One choice was the chicane after the tunnel, to delay the entry and perhaps make it a bit tighter, a bit additional down the highway.

“He made Loews wider, the entry of Lowes wider, and the entry to Rascasse a bit tighter. These three modifications. My opinion – that might assist, however only one to five% of the difficulty we have now.

“I feel you would nonetheless place the automobile in the course of the monitor, go 30 km/h, and nonetheless not get overtaken. You’d must be a bit intelligent about it and perhaps extra anxious wanting within the mirror in case somebody sends one on the within as a result of it’s a bit wider.

“However the automobiles are so vast you may go as gradual as you need—they’re not going to move you. That’s why we had been driving 4 or 5 seconds off the tempo. So small change, small profit. I feel we want one thing even larger than that.”

In the meantime, Haas’ Esteban Ocon commented: “Alex has nice concepts. Each single time we have a look at issues with him, he has the racing drivers’ eye, which is an excellent factor.

“I feel it could positively go in the proper route. Whether or not it could be sufficient, in all probability not, however I feel he stayed on the life like aspect which is an excellent factor.

“I feel the most effective factor can be to haven’t any chicanes and run it to Flip 12, however we want some run-off at Flip 12, to hope for overtaking. Have the DRS simply after the tunnel and simply preserve going flat out all the way in which to the top.

“However taking a look at what Alex has performed, it is in all probability essentially the most life like factor we may do.”

The F1 automobile dimension drawback

Liam Lawson believes the largest subject stopping overtaking is the scale of present technology F1 automobiles, that are the biggest ever.

“It wants one thing to permit a couple of automobile’s width, which is what most of Monaco is. The automobiles are fairly large now, in comparison with what they was,” the Kiwi mentioned.

“So it simply makes it very, very robust to overhaul. In some methods, you don’t wish to change Monaco an excessive amount of, as a result of there’s historical past behind it. However on the identical time, issues are progressing and positively must do one thing, in any other case we’re going to have this yearly.”

And the Racing Bulls driver doubts whether or not the smaller and lighter automobiles launched as a part of the 2026 guidelines shake-up will “be sufficient to make a lot of a distinction.”

‘Monaco has by no means been a great race’

Lando Norris, who claimed his maiden win within the Principality final weekend highlighted that Monaco has by no means been a very thrilling race.

“Monaco’s by no means been a race that’s been good on Sunday,” mentioned the McLaren driver. “But it’s the race everybody desires to win. It’s the one everybody seems to be ahead to essentially the most each single season. It’s at all times been like that.

“Even a number of the finest races you’ve ever seen—zero overtakes. I’m extra combined on my opinions on whether or not it ought to change that a lot. I don’t suppose you’re ever going to get it to be an important race.

“The nice races have been those the place it’s rained midway by way of and issues like that. I’m not saying it might by no means be, I’m simply saying it by no means has been. But everybody nonetheless is aware of it as simply the most effective race of the season.

“I feel there are issues that may be performed, however it’s extra from a automobile standpoint. But it surely’s additionally a monitor. It’s a avenue circuit. Overtaking on most avenue circuits is a bit trickier until it’s bought a two-kilometre straight like Baku. Monaco doesn’t even simply attain previous two kilometres in size.”

Is a extra thrilling qualifying the reply?

Norris went on to recommend that qualifying could possibly be ramped up and was a “extra particular occasion”.

“I feel it places extra stress on Saturdays,” Norris added. “Perhaps it is best to make a extra particular occasion of a Saturday. One-lap shootouts—a extra thrilling Saturday. I simply don’t suppose you are able to do rather a lot on Sunday.

“If you wish to make an even bigger occasion out of it, make it a extra qualifying-based occasion. I don’t suppose you may actually change the race – until you make the automobiles half the scale of what they’re now.

“I don’t suppose it wants to alter that a lot. It’s by no means been anything than what it has been now. So I feel folks ought to simply be proud of what it’s.”

Settle for Monaco for what it’s?

George Russell echoed comparable ideas to Norris, saying: “Monaco has at all times been the identical. I’ve seen a number of the proposed monitor modifications that positively is not going to make it worse.

“The small drawback you’ve gotten in Monaco is the one overtaking alternative, which is out of the tunnel. The pure racing line is – you’re going from a left, braking by way of the center of the monitor and you then pull over to the proper.

“So, it’s totally straightforward for a driver to place his automobile. However actually, proper now, I haven’t got the reply. Perhaps the handbook override can be an answer and, , you’ve bought to do all of this administration by way of the race.

“And in case you’ve bought much more energy simply to move someone in an unconventional house, it isn’t going to make the present worse.

“However a part of me simply thinks we have to settle for Monaco for what it’s. Method 1 is best by having Monaco on the calendar.”