Has F1’s iconic Monaco Grand Prix become boring?

Not a simple yes or no, it is.

With rows of yachts dotted along the harbor and a dazzling guest list, Monaco has always been a track legend since its first race in 1929, making it known for its grandeur.

Along with the Indianapolis 500 and Le Mans, it is regarded as one of motorsport’s triple crown events, which is an unofficial accomplishment. A rich history, three distinct but equally challenging races.

However, there have been discussions in recent years about whether a track in a competition drivers still wants to win.

“This is really boring,” the author said. After finishing sixth in the 2024 Monaco Grand Prix, Max Verstappen, a four-time Formula 1 champion, said, “I should have brought my pillow.”

Drivers encounter a unique challenge due to the principality’s narrow roads, twisty roads, and mile-long tunnels.

This makes overtaking challenging because modern cars are now much bigger.

The weekend’s qualifying on Saturday is regarded as the most exciting part of the weekend because the race classification is regarded as a foregone conclusion because the track averages only 10 overtakes per race, the lowest total for any track in the previous ten years.

With only four overtakes in the 78-lap race, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc secured pole position and the victory over the weekend, but the top 10 remained unchanged from start to finish in 2024.

22 overtook the previous year’s edition due to rain, compared to 13 on wet tarmac in 2022.

The Monaco Grand Prix is a lot of things: it’s historic, spectacular, gaudy, and perhaps a little disgusting because of its vitreous abundance of wealth.

But boring?

Yes, because overtaking is so challenging, the race can be processional. Due to the size and width of the cars, it’s become fashionable in recent years. But it has always been that way, at least for the past 40 or so years.

It’s a lifetime’s worth of sports to watch a driver slog through the streets of Monaco, push the limits, and break the barriers.

Fernando Alonso, a two-time world champion, called Monaco “one of the best and most unique moments of the season.”

He continued, “Maybe Sunday is the bad day.” You have no choice, I tell you. You just need to bring the car home and other necessary things, which could also be a little boring.

It’s not a great Sunday, so I wouldn’t consider it the biggest race of the year, according to Brit Lando Norris.

He also acknowledged that it was “one you want to win.”

Norris continued, “This has happened since Monaco first began.” People in the world today are more resolute and frustrated that there hasn’t been an overtake. “Monaco is still special, it still has a special meaning for each and every team member,” he continued.

Officials sought solutions after the race was criticized for not matching the excitement and speed of the other 23 circuits.

With the intention of enhancing the sporting spectacle in mind, it was mandated that drivers make at least two pit stops during the race in February 2025.

Another problem was that the only race in which a regional television company aired the footage was Monaco.

There were notable differences in how the other 23 races were produced on Formula One Management TV, compared to how the race was covered. This changed in the year before Monaco announced its extension in 2023.

From 2026, the Monaco Grand Prix will start the first full weekend in June instead of its traditional May weekend.

The Monaco Grand Prix is still a race that all drivers aspire to win, according to F1 president and CEO Stefano Domenicali, who called Monte Carlo “one of the most unique and well-known parts of Formula 1.”

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