The Monaco Grand Prix is the race that every driver aspires to win, but it is losing its allure in the modern era.
Ever since first gracing the calendar in 1929, Monaco has been widely considered important and prestigious. Surrounded by riches and wealth, the event often attracts big-name celebrities with no relevance to F1. For this reason, it is frequently argued Monaco isn’t for racing but rather the image.
Gridwalk or Catwalk
Similar to the pre-race activities at American F1 tracks, we can anticipate a decent amount of cringe during the grid walk. Prior to the race, Martin Brundle will be interviewing A-list celebrities about their thoughts on Formula 1. Asking nearly impossible-to-answer questions such as “Who are you rooting for?” will likely leave Hollywood’s top stars bewildered.
Jealous? Yes. Comparison is a thief of joy blah blah, the rich and famous will always get to see fast cars go broom.
We can kick up a real fuss when Taylor Swift gets involved.
Senna, Schumacher, Snoring
On the other hand, legends have been made on the streets of Monaco. F1 royalty such as Senna, Schumacher and Hamilton have all found success around the circuit, boosting their notability.
If we’re being realistic, recently the Monaco Grand Prix has been a snooze fest. When looking in further detail you notice that Monaco is not a true test of an F1 driver. I agree, you must have pinpoint accuracy to avoid putting it in the wall, but it lacks racecraft.
No overtakes make for a boring race, and a boring race is what Monaco is. With this in consideration, it is bizarre how a Monaco victory can blast an unknown driver into worldwide stardom. The circuit lacks actual racing.
In support, over the past 20 years, several F1 drivers and commentators have stated Monaco as a boring circuit. Spaniard Fernando Alonso labelled Monaco “the most boring race ever”—compelling words from the 2-time world champion, a true wordsmith.
Another factor which is critiqued is the Pole to Win conversion rate. For the most part, the driver who sets the Pole Position wins the race. Once that first right-hand turn is seen through, clean driving and a decent pit stop grant you the victory.
Best of the Rest
As we arrive at the Monaco Grand Prix, Max Verstappen holds a 48-point lead at the top of the standings. We can assume he’s on his way to another championship win. However, the battle for second place is getting intense.
We have seen a variety of drivers on the podium in the early rounds of the season, and this trend is likely to continue. As the development race progresses, all Forumla 1 teams are expected to introduce upgrades to their cars in an effort to improve overall performance. Keep an eye on Red Bull, McLaren and Ferrari as they strive to enhance their cars’ pace.
With that in mind, the fight for P2 in the driver’s standings is heating up. Leclerc, Perez, Norris and Sainz Jr are all in contention. Par Max Verstappen, 2024 race weekends have shown us we can never guarantee who will be on the podium.
Recently, Lando Norris proved best of the rest. The latest addition to Formula 1’s race winners, Norris is pushing his McLaren to the limit. At the moment, Lando is arguably the most likely to win a race after Max Verstappen. Similar to Danny Ricciardo during the Mercedes dominance, if Verstappen and Red Bull slip up, Norris is a good bet.
Verstappen 161 Points
Leclerc 113 Points
Perez 107 Points
Norris 101 Points
Sainz Jr 93 Points
Sunday Funday
Contrary to my previous points, I do not doubt that the build-up to the race will be as exciting and anticipated as usual. F1 undeniably has the most thrilling start of any sport. It doesn’t get much better than 20 cars bombing it to the first corner.
We must also remember Monaco possesses an iconic layout, including tight hairpins, the swimming pool section, and the famous emergence from the dark tunnel into daylight. F1 cars look impressive around this circuit, with the tight and narrow margins we can expect all drivers on a knife edge.
Fingers crossed we don’t see a Max Verstappen Grand Slam.
Image Credit: Deposit Photos
