At some point, even the biggest traditions in sports should be looked at again. It has seemed like the perfect moment for F1 at this year’s Monaco Grand Prix. Despite all the sparkle, yachts, celebrities and memories from the past, the motor sports action leaves more to be desired every year. The FIA brought in a new requirement in 2025 that drivers complete the race making two planned stops. The goal was noble, yet how the event was run and the results make one fact very clear: Monaco has to leave the calendar.
I didn’t find that the two-stop rule helped much. Many thought the rules would make for a variety of race strategies, lots of surprises and a changed race order. All we really saw was a slow parade and the most exciting part was already ruined by watching the pit crew—not the drivers. Overreacting to attacked waterbomber-turned-transport ships has remained the same. Year after year, there’s little room on the roads, you can’t pass and fast cars just have to watch the slow ones ahead. After watching drivers go round the track 78 times, it doesn’t feel like sport anymore but a test of how much patience you have.
We shouldn’t think this year was any better than the last. An early accident last year was followed by most teams needing to drive several laps on just one tire. We believed that would happen only once. Still, this year’s Super Bowl felt the same as before with different rules and a familiar result. The order at the front barely shifted and it was only teams making unusual pit stop plans that shook things up. That doesn’t reflect the right spirit of F1.
Monaco now poses major challenges for teams to organize their work. There is more to tolerate during this race weekend than at any other, not due to the competition, but due to the terrible conditions. Team garages are crowded, the pit lanes are very tight and the facilities in the paddock are not well suited to today’s F1 needs. Drivers, engineers and fans are all getting tired of it. Even the romantic atmosphere can’t hide that Monaco isn’t the right choice for modern F1 cars.
F1 is no longer the same as it was before. Things happen faster, cars are bulkier and the aerodynamics are now more involved. Yet Monaco hasn’t kept up with change. Instead, it’s stuck in history—a unique car that’s having a hard time competing with cars designed for faster speeds and better results. Why do we keep saying it’s acceptable that passing another car is almost impossible? Is it okay that we give points for drivers cruising together, waiting for another to pit, have an accident or make a mistake?
The program’s most important element, strategy, wasn’t enough to save this edition. Most teams spent the majority of their qualifying time considering pit windows instead of racing. Still, because of the two-stop rule, pilots did take action, but their flights remained unexciting. The new guideline was similar to putting a bandage on a broken leg. You can’t push for good races through regulations if the circuit does not allow them.
Calls for change used to come just from fans and the media, but not any longer. Privately, people inside the sport are increasingly wondering if Monaco should remain a part of the calendar. A number of people now believe that F1 should look ahead instead of being tied down by old, memorable tracks with little excitement.
Today, we enjoy tracks like COTA, Suzuka, Silverstone and both new additions, Miami and Jeddah, that include both a special look and real racing. They provide us with things we cannot find in Monaco: thrilling competition, places to pass and drivers testing each other in every part of the track. I think that’s precisely what Formula 1 should be about.
We should place value on our family’s traditions. When tradition stops us from moving forward, it’s important to change things. Monaco is still the best in Formula 1—yet the crown sequin is already stained. If F1 wants to create excitement for fans at every race weekend, certain choices must become much more difficult. The hardest choice may be: stopping with Monaco as part of the racing calendar.
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