Will Monaco Stay On The Formula 1 Calendar?!

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Hey Friends,

Memorial Day weekend might be the best holiday on the sports calendar. There were several game 7’s across the NBA and NHL. The French Open is in full swing. More than 300,000 fans attended the Indy 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Real Madrid beat Liverpool in the Champions League Final, and the NCAA men’s and women’s lacrosse national championships were won by Maryland and UNC, respectively.

But I want to spend some time talking about the Monaco Grand Prix this morning.

Charles Leclerc was fastest in qualifying on Saturday, navigating his 1,800-pound Formula 1 car within millimeters of several barriers and recording a blistering 1:11.376 on the 2.07-mile Monaco track. Still, the hometown hero’s joy was short-lived.

Heavy rain arrived just as the Monaco Grand Prix was scheduled to start on Sunday, and the FIA decided to delay the start of the race for more than an hour. This threw off everyone’s perceived race strategy. And Ferrari ended up ruining Charles Leclerc’s chance at a home win in Monaco, while Red Bull’s Sergio Perez won the race.

This made Perez the first Mexican driver to win the Monaco GP, but with this being his third career win, it also made him the most successful Mexican driver in F1 history.

2022 F1 Driver Standings

1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull): 125 points

2. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari): 116 points

3. Sergio Perez (Red Bull): 110 points

4. George Russell (Mercedes): 84 points

5. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari): 83 points

2022 F1 Constructor Standings

1. Red Bull: 235 points

2. Ferrari: 199 points

3. Mercedes: 134 points

4. McLaren: 59 points

5. Alfa Romeo: 41 points

But rather than talking about FIA decisions or Ferrari mistakes, let’s break down Monaco’s place (or lack thereof) on the Formula 1 calendar moving forward.

Most people know that Monaco is one of the most historic venues in motor racing. They have held Grand Prix’s on their streets for nearly 100 years, and the track has been a staple on the calendar ever since Formula 1 was incorporated in 1950.

But today’s Formula 1 cars have gotten bigger and heavier, which has made the annual street race rather boring and predictable. And many people are now asking the question — is it time for Monaco to be removed from the Formula 1 calendar?

This is a complex topic that involves nuance. But let’s use Sunday’s race as an example.

We had heavy rain and red flags. Strategy played a considerable role in the outcome, and the world’s best drivers pushed their machinery to the absolute limit. For example, Mick Schumacher missed the racing line by just 10 centimeters on a damp track, crashing his car and causing what is likely more than $1 million in damage.

He is ok and feeling good! But for context, 10 centimeters is the size of a crayon.

But even with all that “chaos,” the race was still pretty boring. There were just two overtakes—both by Pierre Gasly due to a mismatch on tires—and Fernando Alonso held up half the pack as he tried to preserve his points position throughout the race.

I mean, just look at this photo. Not only was Fernando Alonso able to hold up cars with much more pace due to the inability to overtake in Monaco, but Lando Norris pitted ahead of the group and still came out roughly 15 seconds ahead of everyone.

But the larger dynamic at play here is money. Monaco is good for sponsors, teams, drivers, and others. But that doesn’t mean it’s necessarily all that good for Formula 1.

Sure, the venue is iconic, and the TV ratings are typically massive. But former F1 boss Bernie Eccleston provided Monaco with favorable financial terms due to its iconic status, and with Liberty Media taking a more strategic approach to profitability, that agreement doesn’t line up with their overall roadmap for the sport moving forward.

For example, Formula 1 collects hosting fees for most tracks that typically range from $30 million to $50 million-plus annually. But Monaco reportedly only pays between $12 million to $15 million annually, and they are also awarded several other privileges like complete control of TV production and partial control of trackside advertising.

They are the only track out of 22 on the current F1 calendar that has that control.

So my guess is that a few things will eventually happen here. First, I don’t think that Monaco will be taken off the calendar. It’s too important to the history of the sport, Monaco as a region, and Formula 1 as a whole. But I do think there will be changes.

Formula 1 would probably like to see the Monaco hosting fee fall more in line with other tracks on the calendar. They might ask Monaco to relinquish control of trackside sponsorship inventory or TV production. The track layout might slightly change to encourage more entertaining racing, and maybe they even move the annual timing of the race to improve the travel and logistics for teams and fans.

Only time will tell on some of these issues. I assume this is more of a negotiation than an ultimatum. But still, I expect changes to be made, and they most likely need to be made if Monaco wants to keep Liberty Media happy and stay on the F1 calendar.

** If you enjoyed this write-up, I released a podcast today with Bryson Sullivan. Bryson is an aerodynamics expert and F1 enthusiast. And we chat all things Monaco GP, including FIA decisions, Ferrari strategy, Fernando Alonso holding up the pack, Monaco's future in F1, and the 2022 championship fight. Listen, subscribe, and enjoy!

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