F1 drivers have given their ideas on how one can assist the overtaking drawback on the Monaco Grand Prix.
The topic was introduced again into the highlight following a turgid race final weekend that noticed just one overtake accomplished after the opening lap, courtesy of Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll passing Nico Hulkenberg’s Sauber.
Within the wake of calls to enhance Monaco, F1 circuit designer and former racer turned GPDA (Grand Prix Drivers’ Affiliation) chairman Alex Wurz proposed three potential adjustments he thinks would create overtaking alternatives.
Wurz’s concepts turned a scorching matter within the Barcelona paddock forward of this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix, and drivers had been requested about their opinions after F1’s new obligatory two-stop rule failed to boost the racing.
Wurz’s ‘smart’ concepts praised
Williams driver Alex Albon was amongst those that praised Wurz’s concepts as being “very smart”.
On the proposed adjustments to increase the run to the Nouvelle chicane, Albon stated: “I feel half of the difficulty is that it’s braking downhill and it’s bumpy into that chicane. So it’s actually exhausting to be that dedicated on the brakes to overhaul the vehicles.
“So that concept of getting the 80 metres and following it down the monitor to a braking space that might be flat would give drivers way more confidence to ship it on.
“I feel you’ve seen it, however as quickly as you brake late, when it’s going downhill, while you add pitch to a automotive, which is then downhill, so that you add extra pitch, you create all this further rear limitation within the automotive.
“That’s while you get these massive crashes the place vehicles lose the rear.
“So that might work nicely.”
Albon additionally steered that drivers ought to have DRS accessible into Flip 1.
“One other factor, I don’t know if F1 would ever contemplate this, however we do DRS into Flip 1,” he added. “In China and Japan, we’ve completed that and it’s as much as us to manually change it off.
“I do know they’re not likely for these items, but when we had management over the DRS, it’s as much as us, we wish to take the chance to make use of DRS by the tunnel, then we will flip it off after we get by the nook and open it again up once more as we exit.
“It may assist as nicely; so I feel there are some issues we will strive, or a minimum of discuss.”
Only one overtake was accomplished after the primary lap
Small advantages in proper route
Williams teammate Carlos Sainz stated: “He steered three minor adjustments to, I feel it was Loews… One possibility was the chicane after the tunnel, to delay the entry and possibly make it a bit tighter, a bit additional down the highway.
“He made Loews wider, the entry of Lowes wider, and the entry to Rascasse a bit tighter. These three adjustments. My opinion – that might assist, however only one to five% of the difficulty we’ve got.
“I feel you might nonetheless place the automotive in the course of the monitor, go 30 km/h, and nonetheless not get overtaken. You’ll must be a bit intelligent about it and possibly extra nervous wanting within the mirror in case somebody sends one on the within as a result of it’s a bit wider.
“However the vehicles are so vast you may go as sluggish as you need—they’re not going to move you. That’s why we had been driving 4 or 5 seconds off the tempo. So small change, small profit. I feel we want one thing even larger than that.”
In the meantime, Haas’ Esteban Ocon commented: “Alex has nice concepts. Each single time we have a look at issues with him, he has the racing drivers’ eye, which is an excellent factor.
“I feel it might positively go in the suitable route. Whether or not it might be sufficient, most likely not, however I feel he stayed on the lifelike aspect which is an excellent factor.
“I feel the most effective factor can be to haven’t any chicanes and run it to Flip 12, however we want some run-off at Flip 12, to hope for overtaking. Have the DRS simply after the tunnel and simply maintain going flat out all the way in which to the top.
“However what Alex has completed, it is most likely essentially the most lifelike factor we may do.”
The F1 automotive dimension drawback
Liam Lawson believes the largest difficulty stopping overtaking is the scale of present technology F1 vehicles, that are the biggest ever.
“It wants one thing to permit a couple of automotive’s width, which is what most of Monaco is. The vehicles are fairly massive now, in comparison with what they was once,” the Kiwi stated.
“So it simply makes it very, very powerful to overhaul. In some methods, you don’t wish to change Monaco an excessive amount of, as a result of there’s historical past behind it. However on the similar time, issues are progressing and positively have to do one thing, in any other case we’re going to have this yearly.”
And the Racing Bulls driver doubts whether or not the smaller and lighter vehicles launched as a part of the 2026 guidelines shake-up will “be sufficient to make a lot of a distinction.”
‘Monaco has by no means been a very good race’
Lando Norris, who claimed his maiden win within the Principality final weekend highlighted that Monaco has by no means been a very thrilling race.
“Monaco’s by no means been a race that’s been good on Sunday,” stated the McLaren driver. “But it’s the race everybody desires to win. It’s the one everybody seems ahead to essentially the most each single season. It’s at all times been like that.
“Even among the greatest races you’ve ever seen—zero overtakes. I’m extra combined on my opinions on whether or not it ought to change that a lot. I don’t suppose you’re ever going to get it to be an important race.
“The great races have been those the place it’s rained midway by and issues like that. I’m not saying it could actually by no means be, I’m simply saying it by no means has been. But everybody nonetheless is aware of it as simply the most effective race of the season.
“I feel there are issues that may be completed, but it surely’s extra from a automotive viewpoint. Nevertheless it’s additionally a monitor. It’s a avenue circuit. Overtaking on most avenue circuits is a bit trickier until it’s bought a two-kilometre straight like Baku. Monaco doesn’t even simply attain previous two kilometres in size.”
Norris claimed his first win round F1’s most well-known monitor
Is a extra thrilling qualifying the reply?
Norris went on to counsel that qualifying might be ramped up and become a “extra particular occasion”.
“I feel it places extra strain on Saturdays,” Norris added. “Possibly it is best to make a extra particular occasion of a Saturday. One-lap shootouts—a extra thrilling Saturday. I simply don’t suppose you are able to do loads on Sunday.
“If you wish to make a much bigger occasion out of it, make it a extra qualifying-based occasion. I don’t suppose you may actually change the race – until you make the vehicles half the scale of what they’re now.
“I don’t suppose it wants to alter that a lot. It’s by no means been the rest than what it has been now. So I feel individuals ought to simply be pleased with what it’s.”
Settle for Monaco for what it’s?
George Russell echoed related ideas to Norris, saying: “Monaco has at all times been the identical. I’ve seen among the proposed monitor adjustments that positively is not going to make it worse.
“The small drawback you will have in Monaco is the one overtaking alternative, which is out of the tunnel. The pure racing line is – you’re going from a left, braking by the center of the monitor and you then pull over to the suitable.
“So, it’s totally simple for a driver to place his automotive. However actually, proper now, I haven’t got the reply. Possibly the handbook override can be an answer and, you understand, you’ve bought to do all of this administration by the race.
“And for those who’ve bought much more energy simply to move any individual in an unconventional area, it isn’t going to make the present worse.
“However a part of me simply thinks we have to settle for Monaco for what it’s. Components 1 is best by having Monaco on the calendar.”
