Monaco GP
Race 7 Summary
May 29, 2022
Okay, so it’s been a week since the Monaco GP, and I’m just now getting around to writing about it (for a few reasons). Number 1- I just started a new job this week, so that was my primary focus. Number 2- I didn’t have much to say about the race, which was the bigger issue. So this week will be different than my previous posts, but honestly, I don’t think many people read my posts week to week, so who cares! With the Monaco GP in our rearview, the question remains, what do we do about the Monaco Problem?
Before we can dive in, let’s chat about what makes Monaco different than other Grands Prix (no matter how hard Miami tries).
WHAT’S SO SPECIAL ABOUT MONACO?
Monaco is the second smallest sovereign state, with a fascinating history. Ruled by the Grimaldi Family, Monaco’s sovereignty was recognized by France in a treaty in 1861. The treaty between France and Monaco reduced the already small state to a mere 2.02 sq. km (less than 1 sq. mile), and the agricultural regions that were once a part of Monaco, now belonged to France. The Grimaldi Family had to find a way to bring in money, so they built a casino. The Casino de Monte-Carlo opened in 1865, and thanks to the railroad, Monaco’s economy took off. By 1869, the Grimaldi’s stopped collecting income tax, making it a desirable place for the wealthiest Europeans (because who doesn’t love a tax haven?).
Celebrities and the world’s wealthy, gather in Monaco for the Grand Prix every year, often getting the best seats in the house: the harbor. The GP is really just an excuse for the rich and famous to gather and party. The first race was actually held in the 1929, but wasn’t officially added to the calendar and raced consistently until 1955 (Formula 1 as a sport wasn’t established until 1950. Obviously, race cars have come a long way since that first race. In fact, F1 as a sport has changed too. If the track was built today, it would not pass the FIA’s minimum track distance requirement. Additionally, the modern F1 car is too big and too fast to navigate the tight, slow course. The result now is a race that is rather processional- 78 laps, with little to no overtaking.
Another important thing to remember is that Charles Leclerc, born in Monte Carlo, isn’t the only driver who calls Monaco, home. Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton, Daniel Ricciardo, Lando Norris, Valtteri Bottas, Alex Albon, and Sergio Perez all live in Monaco (at least for some of the year). They’ve all discussed how nice it is to have such a short commute to and from work, and being able to sleep in their own bed on a race weekend. The fact that 8 of the current 20 drivers live in Monaco, definitely helps the Monaco GP stay on the calendar.
I’ve dramatically oversimplified Monaco’s history, but Vox has a nice summary video that provided me with some of the context: Why the world's most famous car race is in Monaco.
WHAT HAPPENED AT THE MONACO GP IN 2022?
I’m not going to do a detailed summary of the race, because it was a week ago, and the race as a whole isn’t worth summarizing. So let’s talk about the interesting bits…
Before Lights Out:
Despite many people discussing the forecast on Friday and Saturday, it seemed everyone woke up and forgot that there was a chance of rain. I saw one journalist in particular share that there “wasn’t a cloud in the sky” in the morning, so there was no chance of rain in the afternoon. Well, it started sprinkling about 15-30 minutes before the scheduled race start time, and apparently everyone at the track was surprised. Teams were apparently frantically running around trying to determine which tire to start on, and it was chaos (they showed a good bit of footage of pit crews running with carts of tires to the grid and back to the pit lane). About 10 minutes before lights out, the Race Director delayed the start. At the time, it really wasn’t raining that hard, but there was heavier rain in the forecast. I am 100% for taking driver safety into account, and it weighing heavier than the spectacle, but this felt like Race Control was overcomplicating/overthinking things. The actual best chance that F1 cars have to race in wet conditions, is to actually race. I can’t actually speak on the physics of it, but people more knowledgable than I am, have explained that the best way to dry a track is to race on it. Now of course, the caveat is that the rain has to be letting up, or stopped completely. (Again, I’m oversimplifying the principle, but it’s pretty common knowledge in the racing world, so I’ll just leave it at that.)
I have been critical of many decisions by Race Control and the FIA where they’ve clearly wanted to create a spectacle, with little to no thought of safety. When safety concerns are raised, I think it is extremely important to listen to the drivers, engineers, and mechanics, who spend a lot more time with the cars and tracks than any journalist, fan, or F1 executive. In Spa of 2021, the drivers were almost all saying the same thing- “we have no visibility, it’s not safe”. In Saudi Arabia this year, the drivers and teams were concerned about the air strike near the track, and voiced their concerns with the F1 and FIA bosses. But Monaco this past weekend? You didn’t hear the same outcry from teams and drivers. Sure they all acknowledged that racing in wet conditions is always less safe than dry, but they are professionals and felt the starting conditions (pre-downpour) were manageable. Ted Croft and Martin Brundle, Sky F1 commentators, both were pretty adamant that the race could and should have started on time. So I also feel pretty confident that the race could have started on time, too.
Screenshot of original starting tires for the 20 drivers.
*Full disclaimer- I found this on Twitter, and have not verified the information.
So why didn’t it? Well…. Safety was what Race Control claimed, but I have to wonder. Three teams elected to start the race on intermediate tires (one of the options for wet conditions). Those three teams were Mercedes, McLaren, and Aston Martin. Everybody else? Normal racing tires, including the top 4 drivers, Leclerc, Sainz, Perez, and Verstappen. I try not to let myself believe big sporting conspiracies, but you just have to wonder… Monaco, as I’ve already said once and will say again, is nearly impossible to overtake on. The cars are too big now. Race Control admitted that they wanted to give teams a chance to put on wet condition tires “for safety”, but drivers are allowed to change tires following the formation lap, remember? The top 4 drivers (and the other 10 on the grid) would have been able to come into the pit lane for the proper tires after the formation lap, which would have dramatically changed the fate of the race. Track position is queen at Monaco because of how impossible it is to overtake. So this would have been the grid:
P5 Lando Norris
P6 George Russell
P8 Lewis Hamilton
P9 Sebastian Vettel
P14 Daniel Ricciardo
P18 Lance Stroll
Followed by the other cars after they had pitted, and lined up at the pit lane exit. The cars in the pit lane would not have been shown the green light until the final car on the grid (in this case, Lance Stroll) was past them, so those 6 drivers already on track would have been the top 6 at the start of the race. With how much the world of F1 clearly is against Mercedes’ and more particularly, Lewis Hamilton’s, success of the previous years, it’s not that hard to believe that a grid that favored Mercedes (giving the team 2 podiums potentially) when Mercedes is struggling with the new regulations, might have been in the back of everyone’s mind. But even if they started, and those 6 drivers were the front-runners of the race, the other 14 drivers could have come out on full wet tires (anticipating worse conditions), giving them a leg up. Tire strategy is part of what makes F1 so interesting, so as long as it’s truly safe, then why not let it be interesting? Oh what could have been…
“Racing”:
They conducted 2 formation laps behind the safety car after the delayed start procedures (about 20 minutes from original start time), and by the then the rain had picked up significantly. Because of the delay, cars weren’t running when the conditions were more favorable, definitely making the heavier rain unsafe to drive in. Would the race have been red flagged 20 minutes into the race? Yeah, possibly, but these bozos can’t tell me they saw the heavy rain coming when they missed the rain at the start… The race was delayed for another 45 minutes with no cars running on the track (not even the safety car), which made track conditions worse. When the cars were finally allowed to race, the first 26 laps or so were fairly interesting. All 20 drivers HAD to start on full wet tires per the requirements of starting behind the safety car. By lap 3, some back markers elected to pit early for intermediate tires, and that proved to be a good decision for them. The real decision was between going to intermediates or holding off and going straight to slick tires. On lap 22, Sergio Perez overcut the Ferraris, and found himself in first place the rest of the race. Mick Schumacher crashed on lap 26, which eventually red flagged the race. Once they started racing again, the only thing that was mildly interesting, and incredibly frustrating was Fernando Alonso coasting around the track, falling behind P6 (not 1st place, SIXTH place) by 30+ seconds. If you want to watch a highlight reel, you can watch Formula One’s, here.
Perez secured his 3rd ever victory, with Carlos Sainz P2, and Max Verstappen P3. Thus ends the “Max has won every race he’s finished” statistic- thank God…
WHAT TO DO ABOUT THE MONACO PROBLEM?
Fortunately/unfortunately (depending on how you look at it), the Monaco GP contract has not been renewed yet for 2023 or beyond. Apparently there have been some negotiation issues between the two parties. So should Monaco remain on the calendar? I’m going to make a case for both arguments, and leave it with my opinions.
YES- Monaco is a historic and prestigious race. Winning Monaco is often thought to be the greatest achievement for any racing driver (especially F1 drivers). The Monaco GP is also one of three prestigious races that make up the Motorsport Triple Crown (the other two are the Indy 500 and 24 hours of Le Mans). Obviously the history and prestige matter, but is that enough of a reason? Maybe, but the main reason I would argue for keeping Monaco on the calendar is because of how much it emphasizes qualifying. It is a great example of just how impressive qualifying can be in F1- drivers pushing the car to the absolute limit, barely missing the wall by a few millimeters.
NO- Monaco is BORING. With the exception of the select few who are able to attend in person, there is nothing exciting for the vast majority of fans watching the race from around the globe. The points are awarded on Sundays, and while yes, there can be an error or something that will create a brief moment of intrigue, the 78 lap race is just one big tease. Drivers following close enough that they should be able to overtake, but due to the narrow streets, they are stuck. There genuinely is little racing, and not much strategy variation, as tire degradation is low, so teams can get away with 1 pit stop.
So should it stay? In my opinion, no. At least not every year. I’m not saying to never race there again, because I can respect the history and prestige of the race. I started watching F1 in 2020 because of my brother-in-law. There was no Monaco GP that year due to the Covid-19 pandemic (the first time since 1954 that they hadn’t raced in Monaco). Having never watched one, I didn’t really miss it. And once it came back in 2021, I was excited because I knew how prestigious it was, but I was bored and frustrated watching the whole race. What’s more important to me (as a viewer from home), is that the race is interesting. Sure, seeing the cars sail around the streets of Monaco is cool, but the race isn’t a race, it’s a procession. As I’m not the only new fan, I think it would be wise to rethink the race (if an agreement can even be reached). Maybe only hold it every other year, or every 4 years? That would leave viewers (and attendees) with a greater sense of excitement, since it’s not guaranteed every year. Try turning it into almost a time trial format, where points are awarded for a qualifying-style run, and you forgo the “race”. However, that would take a significant rules overhaul, and it kind of defeats the purpose of a Grand Prix. But if seeing cars go around the streets of Monaco is that important, making a drastic change may be what needs to be done. But is the Monaco GP worth the trouble?
But what do you think: Should it stay or should it go?
As always, please check out these amazing creators:
Quick Stop F1 Podcast: Monaco GP Review. “Nyasha and Thandie are joined by the guy with the loveliest voice in motorsport, Cameron F1! Cameron joins us to break down a chaotic Monaco Grand Prix and discuss the ridiculous FIA and their stewarding, Ferrari woes, Mercedes strategy talk and more!”
On the Chicane: 2022 Monaco GP Race Rundown. “No Marium this week, so we borrowed Thandie from Quickstop F1! Monaco, usually a mid race, had a bit of action spiced up by rain on track. Ferrari fail on strategy, leading Charles Leclerc to lose out at his first time finishing his home race.”
Brad Philpot: Monaco GP Questions Answered (Through the Visor). “Answering your questions from Twitter about the driving side of Formula 1. We discuss etiquette, driving standards - and those juicy on-track incidents from the Monaco Grand Prix. Who was at fault? Let's explore!”
Until next race!