The Monaco Grand Prix is one of the most prestigious races in all of motorsports. It’s part of the Triple Crown alongside the Indy 500 and 24 Hours of Le Mans.
But the actual race has lost its excitement in recent years. Four-time world champion Max Verstappen even called it “boring” last year.
“I should’ve brought my pillow,” Max Verstappen said after a sixth-place finish.
In recent years, there have been changes in the way Formula One cars are built, which have led to a decline in overtakes. According to The Race, there was an average of 32.8 overtakes in 2024, down from 39 in 2023.
But it’s significantly lower at the Monaco GP. Overtakes are even more difficult around the track that runs around the narrow streets of Monaco, the second-smallest country in the world behind only Vatican City. Last year, there were only four overtakes over 78 laps, and, for the first time in history, the order of the top 10 at the start of the race remained unchanged by the time the checkered flag was waved.
In 2023, amid rainy conditions that often lead to an unpredictable race, there were only 22 overtakes, well below the season’s average overtake count.
The Rule Change
In February, the FIA announced a new rule that mandates drivers to use at least three different sets of tires resulting in a minimum of two pit stops for each car. (F1 has three tire compounds for dry-weather races: soft, medium, and hard.) The requirement for every other race is for each car to use two tire compounds for a dry-weather race, which can be done with just one pit stop.
This could add additional intrigue to the race as teams have differing strategies. Teams will now have more opportunities to “undercut” their opponents—which is to pit earlier than their opponents to gain an advantage. It also opens the door for more chaos should there be a crash that triggers a safety car—which generally allows teams to pit and change their tires at an advantageous time.
“I think it will definitely help Sunday, especially with strategy. The excitement on Sunday is maybe a bit less than what you will hope,” Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc, who won last year’s race, told Sky Sports in February.
