This weekend is the 2025 Monaco GP. It is considered, by many, to be the crown jewel of the F1 calendar, along with Indy and Le Mans – the Triple Crown of motorsport. The Monaco Grand Prix is a unique social event, a mix of sport, elegance and glamour, generating a unique atmosphere. 

However, there are very limited overtaking opportunities, generally making for a boring race. There have been 70 Monaco GP races to date, as it was off the calendar from 1951 to 1954 and in 2020. Almost half the winners (32, or 46 per cent) started from pole. A further 16 winners (23 per cent) started from second on the grid. Qualifying plays a key role in determining the winner.

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Give it the Boot

The race, as a spectacle, is far removed from the very early days of the event that provided plenty of close action. The 3,33-km long track is very narrow with 19 corners. There are no real straights and therefore no option to slipstream the car ahead, the only way to pass these days. 

Current F1 cars are larger than any that have come before, casting a footprint that is as large as a Range Rover. As a result, they take up a fair deal of real estate on the streets of the second smallest country on earth. This has made for a race that is a real snorefest, one that should be axed for a venue that can create a better spectacle and/or promote closer racing. Top contenders in this regard include the likes of F1 tracks in Malaysia and Turkey. But this is unlikely to happen because of Monaco’s historic significance.

Click here to watch some beautiful retro Monaco F1

Under Pressure

The current commercial rights’ holder, Liberty Media, and the sport’s rulemakers, the FIA, have been gradually increasing the F1 calendar to its current 24-race schedule. More countries, including a few in Africa, are lining up to host races as the popularity of the sport grows worldwide. This means that long-standing races such as Monaco are under pressure. Hence there is a move to try to improve racing (read: variability) at the circuit.

Click here to read about the harsh truths of hosting an F1 race.

New Rule

To liven up the race, F1 sporting regulations were recently modified. The rules have been changed to require two mandatory pitstop for the 2025 Monaco GP. The specific rule is Article 30.5, paragraph m. Here is an overview of its content.

“…For the Monaco race, each driver must use at least three different types of tyre (either dry or wet). If a driver does not use intermediate or wet tyres in the race, they must use at least two different slick tyre compounds, of which one must be from the mandatory dry compounds. Unless the race is suspended and cannot be re-started, failure to comply with these requirements will result in the disqualification of the relevant driver from the race results.

“In this case thirty seconds will be added to the elapsed time of any driver who did not, when required to do so, use at least two specifications of dry-weather tyre during the race, or who did not use at least three sets of tyres of any specification during the race. Furthermore, an additional thirty seconds will be added to the elapsed time of any driver who used only one set of tyres of any specification during the race.”

Will it Work?

We know that variability creates exciting racing. The most obvious example of this is when it rains. The last round in Imola provided an example of how this new rule at Monaco may play out. Many frontrunners at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix took different approaches to tyre strategies. A late Safety Car period also caused a rethink of plans and helped bunch-up the field with many on fresh rubber. This led to an exciting finish, although the winner was still the car that led from turn one of the opening lap.

Gambling in Monaco

There will probably be a high degree of gambling taking place this weekend, and not just in the swanky casinos. Teams that qualify further down the field will wait for a Safety Car period to save time on a pit stop. A red flag, as happened last year, means that you get a pit stop for free. Only six cars stopped during the 2024 races as 14 took advantage of a red-flag situation and simply drove to the finish from there.

This will not be possible at the 2025 Monaco GP, unless of course there are two red flag situations, which is also not impossible. Whatever the case, this year’s race on the French Riviera is likely to be the most exciting in decades… or it will once again provide a soothing backdrop to my Sunday afternoon snooze. Let me know what you think on our Facebook page.