Is Monaco still Formula 1’s Crown Jewel?
So far in the 2026 season of Formula 1, the average amount of overtakes is 115.3 with different tracks offering chances to overtake and pass other cars. The new rule of active aero allow far more overtakes but one track does not abide to these statistics. Monaco. The most prestigious event of the F1 calendar.
Interestingly the last Monaco GP had a total of 0 overtakes as the streets of Monte Carlo are extremely narrow so in effect, the cars cannot run side by side as the cars are 2 metres in width. The widest part of the Monaco Grand Prix is just 12 metres, this is found at the Boulevard Albert 1er, where the starting grid is located.
The Miami GP hosted a total of 150 overtakes as Kimi Antonelli rocketed through the finish in his Mercedes W-17. As modern tracks take over the new calendar and as cars get faster the Monaco track is starting to become outdated as practically the only place you can overtake is in the pits! The most surreal thing in this year’s grand prix is the fact that there were 6 pit lane speeding offences.
Normally it is obscure if a driver speeds in the pit lane as they are confident that they have time to overtake after they get out of pit but at Monaco a quick pit makes all the difference, as there are a small number of on track overtakes.
Nelson Piquet (a 1981,1983-world champion) stated that driving at Monaco is liking cycling a bike in a living room. Bearing in mind this was some years ago, imagine how hard this must be in present day with extremely aerodynamic chassis and engines capable of 240 mph. The FIA even had to artificially cut the max RPM on the engine as the roads of Monaco could not handle the raw speed and power of the modern F1 car.
The lowest average speed recorded at the Monaco Grand Prix is around 31 miles per hour, this is barely above the speed limit in London, what’s the point of building speedy and advanced cars if you can’t utilize the latest technology?
The Monaco Grand Prix was designed for 1955 F1 car measurements (2.35m x 2.15m) which is why the Grand Prix seems so outdated in 2026. Although the size of the car was reduced by the FIA in 2025, the modern F1 car is still substantially larger than the 20th century counterparts.
- 4.05m x 1.98m – 1955 largest car measurements
- 4.35 x 2.00m – 1995 largest car measurements
- Max 5.63m x Max 2.00m – 2025 FIA max measurements
- Max 5.30m x Max 1.90m – 2026 FIA max measurements
Monaco is clearly becoming an outdated racetrack, obviously being designed for the 8-cylinder engines from the 1950s and 60s. It cannot facilitate the modern F1 car’s speed, and the track is not able to entertain people as like it used to do. Now it is just purely in the calendar for tradition, not because it’s a spectacle as it is well-known for its lack of overtaking. It is also a prestigious place for the rich and famous to linger and be seen and those who are potentially not very interested in motorsport itself.
Reported by Alistair BH and Hunter O