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I’m one of the Formula 1 fans who hates Monaco. Here’s why
Monaco has always been, and always will be, a crown jewel of motorsport.
I think that’s why I hate it.
Monaco is a mainstay in the Formula 1 calendar. PA/AAP
A colleague of mine argued that this year is the most excited he’s been for a Monaco event in a long time - and I think that’s where the problem lies.
Why do we accept, as gospel, that something simply must be sucked up because tradition tells you so?
In F1 circles, you’ve heard all the arguments about why racing in Monaco is, whisper it quietly, a little bit dull.
Only the pole-sitter can win the race. There’s no genuine overtaking chances. It’s just a glorified playground for the ultrarich to party. A car hasn’t crashed into the marina in a long time...
I agree with all of that (maybe not the cars in the marina).
Ahead of the race, the FIA’s regulations were always set to be a talking point, particularly asking how drivers would manage energy and overtaking on such a cramped street circuit.
The FIA decided to omit straight line mode for the weekend and I think that decision is super fair - a smart move for the safety of drivers.
As much as I joke about a car in the marina, I beg to the racing gods that doesn’t happen.
But to play devil’s advocate - why do we have a track that requires the rule book to constantly shift, bend and move its goalposts just to function?
I don’t need the regulations to be perfect from day dot, but the vitriol from drivers surrounding these cars is immense, and now we are having to ask the FIA to change them again. Cast your mind back to 2025’s two pit-stop mandate and how much it literally did not solve any of Monaco’s problems.
Podiums in Monaco are usually bound to the qualifying results. Ryan Pierse
Now: I’m a huge fan of Formula E around Monaco.
It’s speedy, light, and you’re bound to see an outstanding duel for pole during their knockout format. So, will F1’s electrical hybrid engine suit this track in the same way?
Probably not.
Not only is the format for FE entirely different, they have a model of racing that works in the principality - and it is night and day to Formula 1.
The fact that the FIA is requiring teams to sandbag their cars after they finally made them slightly smaller is wild, it makes Monaco feel pretty pointless.
Formula 1 has no problem axing historic tracks, nor do they hesitate to add new ones that look...lacklustre.
Take the example of Madring.
Please forgive me for not being excited about the replacement race when we had Imola as a great track in Italy, and Spain has a good enough event anyway in Barcelona.
Of the Triple Crown of motorsport - the Indy500, 24 Hours of Le Mans and F1’s Monaco Grand Prix - there is ample motorsport for any type of racing fan.
Would you like speeds of up to 350km/h and hair-raising battles to the line? Or maybe you’d like a marathon battle through the night with quite literally 62 cars fighting for space (and just pure chaos).
In comparison to its counterparts, it’s slightly challenging to feel excited about a processional race through the world’s smallest country (bar the Vatican City).
I think that’s what irks me about Monaco and Formula 1 more broadly.
As I argued over the desk with my colleague, I quickly understood the complete divide in our opinion as Formula 1 fans.
He’s a motorsport purist, loves the tradition and is someone who doesn’t really engage with the other aspects of racing other than in the paddock.
And that’s fine, and it doesn’t make him any less of a fan.
I, on the other hand, am much more engaged with the entertainment value, the politics, and the culture surrounding the sport.
As a now 23-year-old, I also was not yet alive when Monaco was a spectacle of pure racing, grit and determination and a show of a driver’s raw skill.
My memories of Monaco hark back only to around 2017, when the race in the principality was already a mainstay ‘qualifying’ session, not a race.
This is my callout to fans, you’re allowed to disagree with tradition.
You’re allowed to think ‘hmm, that wasn’t a race I enjoyed,’ no matter if you’ve been watching the sport since 1987 or for seven minutes.
That’s how sport grows, progresses and finds different fans to speak to. The fact that we’re still discussing gatekeeping and the argument of ‘not being a real fan’ in 2026 is immensely stupid.
Who the hell cares if you like the sport due to the racing, the drama, the paddock characters, the intersection of culture. Supporting Formula 1 is not black and white, and neither are fanbases.
You can dislike particular tracks and still be a fan, that’s how sport works.
I’m not in love with the Las Vegas Grand Prix, but I can appreciate that the sport benefits hugely from the commercial boom in the United States.
Similarly, you don’t have to love Monaco, but can appreciate that most drivers still yearn for the day they get to stand on that specific podium.
To add to my opinion, drivers tend to be the ones moaning and groaning about Monaco - they’re actively the loudest hypocrites about the track. In one breath, they’ll be arguing they hate the circuit, but if they win, what a place to win in Monaco!
So, yes - when the lights go out in Monaco, I won’t be holding my breath for a magical race and for these new regulations to suddenly make racing 100 times better.
But if the streets of Monte Carlo somehow deliver an absolute classic, I give you all permission to say ‘I told you so’.
