Does the Monaco Grand Prix need to evolve to stay on the calendar?

With 23 Grand Prix scheduled on the calendar of the Formula 1 in 2023, places are expensive and the privileges formerly granted on certain dates like Monaco are at the heart of the debates. The racing weekend in the streets of Monaco is one of these events which, thanks to their aura, occupy a special place in the season. Gems in the calendar which benefit from privileges on many aspects, mainly economic.

For several years, the queen discipline of car is enjoying a resurgence in popularity and privileges are starting to disturb the paddock. From there to seeing Monaco disappear from the calendar? Not yet, but changes will have to take place as Günther Steiner explains in Miami: “ Things are changing in Formula 1 and nothing is immune. We always have the need to evolve, develop and stay current and if being current means the model has to change, I think it has to change. »

A spectacle that is rare on Sundays in Monaco

In the viewfinder of critics, we mainly find the entry fee to the Monaco Grand Prix calendar, lower than its European equivalents located at around 18/20 million euros. Now that Formula 1 is bankable, the paddock and Liberty Media want their money's worth and this is partly due to the advent of new events in the Gulf countries or more recently in the United States. “ I think Monaco needs to adopt the same commercial conditions as the other Grands Prix and perhaps also (the Grand Prix) needs to work with ways to adapt its track. As our cars got bigger, racing got harder », Judge Zak Brown, interviewed by the Reuters news agency after the officialization of Las Vegas in 2023.

The circuit is the other black point or charm of this Grand Prix, depending on taste. Monaco built its reputation thanks to a difficult event with a narrow track. This specificity offers a reduced spectacle in the race on Sunday with very little overtaking, far from the 45 changes of position in Miami and 58 in Bahrain. “ They must evolve as the sport develops. I think if Monaco was a new circuit coming onto the calendar and they said, "Well, you're going to have the lowest income of all the circuits and you're going to go there without being able to overtake", it would never be accepted on the calendar », points out Christian Horner in Miami. The ball is now in the court of the Automobile Club de Monaco (ACM) to keep the Monegasque jewel on the Formula 1 program. 

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