At Monaco 2024, after Charles Leclercpp emotional first win at his home race, another Formula 1 first. Never in the sport’s 74-year history had the top 10 from the start finished the race in the same order, but after a first lap red flag meant all cars could change tires and not need to pit again, the order from qualifying took the checkered flag 24 hours later. Also, an overtaking didn’t even look close to materializing.

Lewis Hamilton at least tried something else. A free pit stop on lap 52, which saved his medium tires from further chafing and undercut attempts on Max Verstappen ahead, but Red Bull simply responded with a pit stop of their own a lap later to thwart the Mercedes driver. The other eight drivers held their position comfortably. Not by choice, but by sheer reality.

It’s nothing new: without a driver mistake or a strategy error, you can’t overtake in Monaco. There is a DRS zone and it is one of the smallest steps in the calendar. The slow twists and turns of the famous principality are, now more than ever, unsuited to today’s big, rigid nature F1 cars.

The overwhelming feeling from the media pen afterwards was one of frustration, amid continued demands for track changes.

Verstappen, who finished sixth and was unable to push his Red Bull past George Russell ahead, said over the radio: “F*** me, this is really sad… I should have brought my pillow”.

Russell, in easy conversation with Verstappen afterwards, suggested there should be mandatory pit stops in Monaco. Hamilton has previously proposed at least two stops. This time he suggested three.

It may be the only realistic solution but is it sporting to incorporate specific rules for specific races? F1 already caters to Monaco to some extent; it is the only race that does not follow the FIA’s mandatory 305 km race distance rule, despite a 78-lap grand prix. Still, the precedent that a minimum number of pit stops would set could be far-reaching and could land F1 in a sticky situation.

A host of other drivers have called for a change to the layout – but how do you change the unchangeable? Monaco’s unique narrow streets make it almost impossible to change the track with 19 turns, and a new expansion beyond Portier (the turn before the tunnel) has rendered an optimistic solution useless.

One solution could be to remove the Nouvelle Chicane after the tunnel – creating another DRS section – but the approaching speeds of the tight, high-speed Tabac section after it would make the start of sector three uncertain. And even then, the street does not provide enough space for two F1 cars to race side by side.

If they do, they hit the wall. Just ask Sergio Perez, who couldn’t do anything when Kevin Magnussen saw a gap, down the right-hand side up the hill after lap one, that wasn’t there. A tip, a spin, a smash. The pictures of Perez destroyed Red Bull summarize afterwards what happens if you try to move in the principality.

All of this poses a problem. A problem that has existed for decades. A problem that is seemingly unsolvable.

With the news about Monaco six-year, £25m per year contract extension with F1, the two-way commitment continues into the 2030s. That said, the circuit layout will not change due to the principality’s logistics and constraints. So, should at least two pit stops be made mandatory?

The event’s prestige for celebrities and big players is undeniable. Even for drivers, qualifying on Saturday has a decisive importance unlike any other on the schedule. But from the end of Q3 the race is all but decided and the same driver complains of boredom a day later.

Can it be changed, one way or another?

The article was originally published on May 27, 2024