F1’s governing body is looking at some changes for the Monaco Grand Prix to improve the racing
The Monaco Grand Prix is one of the races, along with the Indianapolis 500 and the 24 Hours of Le Mans, that makes up the Triple Crown of Motorsport. For decades the race has been considered the crown jewel of the Formula 1 calendar, combining the sport’s rich history with all the glitz and glamour the Principality has to offer.
Yet, the racing has been anything but spectacular.
In recent years overtaking has come at a premium, often turning the Grand Prix into more of a parade. Last year’s race was a prime example, as an accident on the opening lap brought out the red flag and saw the field make their mandatory tire change, resulting in a drawn-out procession behind Charles Leclerc, the eventual race winner.
Speaking exclusively with SB Nation after finishing second, Oscar Piastri talked about how tough it is to overtake on the Monte Carlo streets.
“It’s incredibly tough [to overtake in Monaco]. I think for me the difficult thing is that whilst I was right behind Charles for a lot of the race, it wasn’t because he was slow,” started Piastri. “It was because he was deciding to go slow, right.”
“So it’s not like somewhere else where they have clear strengths and weaknesses and you can kind of set them up [for an overtake]. Like for him, if he wanted to go faster, he could have, literally depending on what he wanted to do with his right foot,” added the McLaren driver. “So that also made it tough.”
Now, the sport’s governing body is trying to spice things up.
The FIA’s Formula 1 Commission held its first meeting of the 2025 season on Tuesday, ahead of the F1 75 Live event in London. The meeting was chaired by FIA Single-Seater Director Nikolas Tombazis and F1 President and CEO Stefano Domenicali. Among the potential changes discussed? An increase in the number of pitstops for the Monaco Grand Prix. As noted in a post-meeting debrief, “with the aim of promoting better racing at the Monaco Grand Prix, the commission discussed proposals for Monaco-specific regulations. The commission agreed to increase the numbers of mandatory pit stops in the Race.”
According to the FIA that proposal, along with the others recommended by the Committee, “will be further discussed by the Sporting Advisory Committee in the coming weeks.”
The additional proposals include the following:
New, more stringent, deflection tests on front wing will be introduced from the Spanish Grand Prix onward.
New, more stringent, deflection tests on the rear wing from the start of the season.
Finalization of the driver cooling system following work carried out between the FIA and the Formula 1 teams, supported by changes to define when such systems must be used.
Removal of the limitations in the number of gearboxes used by teams, as the reliability of current designs renders this restriction obsolete.
A number of revisions and clarifications to Sprint and Race start procedures, including those covering the aborted start.
Over the years the Monaco Grand Prix has been decided on Saturday, with qualifying becoming a determinative factor. If the FIA indeed increases the number of mandatory pit stops for the Monaco Grand Prix, it may make Sundays in Monte Carlo a bit more exciting.
