Formula 1

[Cloud Strife]

I was between two minds as to if this was too strict or not, but the image you posted makes it clear that by cutting the corner they were also encroaching into the mechanics' working area. So the penalties were appropriate.

Yes, I think the penalties were justified, especially with the FIA making it clear to the teams beforehand that it wasn't on. It's still not clear where the drivers actually incurred the penalties, but there's enough evidence that they've been doing it on both the entry and exit from the pit lane. I suppose it's a situation where it's not an issue at every other track, but the FIA probably identified this as a danger with the 11th team now being present and an alteration to the end of the pit lane.

IMO, while the penalties are fair as it's an absolute liability offence, the FIA should be changing the rules so that it's absolutely clear that you cannot cross white lines in the pit lane unless it's to enter/leave the garage. The rule already exists for the white line after passing the traffic light at the exit, so why not have the same rule from the entry onwards too?

On the other hand, I appreciate that the FIA actually does take a very hard line with speeding in the pit lane. It's a very dangerous place, and there should be absolutely no exceptions for speeding, even just 0.1km/h over the limit.

As an aside, I'm more convinced than ever that what Monaco needs is some radically different rules to other tracks. The track itself is incredible as a test of skill, but these would be my proposed changes:

- obligatory for teams to use all three tyre compounds during the race.

- teams would get access to the hards and the softs during practice and qualifyng, but they would have to use mediums without any knowledge of their capabilities. I'd also go further: the softs would be C1, the mediums would be C2, and the hards would be C5. This introduces a massive amount of jeopardy for teams, as while the hards will get them to the end of the race, there would be such a performance hit that the teams would need to really do a lot of number crunching.

- Data communication to/from the home factory would be banned over the weekend. So, teams could still communicate with HQ, but they could only do it via voice. Anything that they want to do in terms of data processing would have to be done at the circuit, not anywhere else. I'd go further and ban them from using any external computing resources: if they can't do it with what they have available locally, it can't be done.

- Drivers would no longer be able to hold up other drivers, if a driver maintains a certain amount of distance to the car in front (say 1 second) for more than three laps, it would be an automatic blue flag and the driver in front would be obliged to let the driver behind pass. In short, if you can't shake off the driver behind you, then you have to let them overtake. It rewards the driver behind for being able to stay on their tail, while punishing the driver in front for not being able to get away.

- Teams would have three obligatory pit stops with tyre changes at each one. They wouldn't be able to reuse any tyres already used in the race.

- There would be a fourth obligatory pit stop, but without the obligation to change tyres. It would function as a de facto 5 second penalty, to be taken at any point when the circuit is fully under race conditions. So, no using the safety car to serve the mandatory 5 second stop.

- Qualifying would be divided into the following format:

1st vs 22nd in the world championship
2nd vs 21st... and so on.

The idea is that each driver gets a single lap to post a time, and if they win, they go through to the next round. As there would be an uneven amount of drivers, some would get a bye in the first round of the tournament, so there would be a round of 16, quarter finals and so on. The eliminated drivers would take their place on the grid according to their lap times set. So, one mistake and a driver can potentially end up at the bottom of the grid.

From a TV point of view, this would work well, because they could show split screens of each driver racing it out. The driver that is higher in the world championship would get to pick if they go first or second, and you'd just release the cars ten seconds apart from the garages for their out lap.

Yes, all very gimmicky, but Monaco is a massive gimmick anyway, so why not change the format and let the drivers have some fun? The sheer pressure on the top drivers to put in four perfect laps would also be something there, especially with the prospect of ending up 15th or 16th if they don't nail a great lap first time.

 

[najaB]

Drivers would no longer be able to hold up other drivers, if a driver maintains a certain amount of distance to the car in front (say 1 second) for more than three laps, it would be an automatic blue flag and the driver in front would be obliged to let the driver behind pass. In short, if you can't shake off the driver behind you, then you have to let them overtake. It rewards the driver behind for being able to stay on their tail, while punishing the driver in front for not being able to get away.

That feels a little too gimmicky to me (and possibly difficult to measure and enforce). That said, something that is equally gimmicky but has precedent in other racing series is the 'joker lap'. I would allow drivers to cut the nouvelle chicane twice in the race, with at least 4 laps between opportunities, and not on the lap immediately following a pit stop. So in the scenario that you describe - stuck close behind for several laps - they could cut the chicane legally, getting ahead but then they have to watch out for the other driver doing the same to them on the next lap.

This would open up a couple of new strategies - for example deliberately drive slower to encourage the driver behind to take the joker, with the intent to get the place back on the next lap knowing that they would have at least 4 laps before they could try again. Or taking the joker to try to make an undercut pit stop work (or to ruin the other team's attempt to undercut).

 

[Mogster]

Last year Alex Wurtz suggested some what appear to be quite doable track changes. However I don’t get the impression that the ACM will to change anything unless they are absolutely forced to. I do enjoy the Monaco weekend, Saturday is fantastic, but even I think something needs to change.

Three feasible ways to create Monaco overtaking - Wurz's proposals explained

Grand Prix Drivers' Association chairman Alex Wurz has outlined three feasible ways that Monaco's Formula 1 circuit can be improved to help overtaking

www.the-race.com

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Three feasible ways to create Monaco overtaking - Wurz's proposals explained​

JON NOBLE​

26 May 2025 — 4 min read

73 comments​

Grand Prix Drivers' Association chairman Alex Wurz has outlined three feasible ways that Monaco's Formula 1 circuit can be improved to help overtaking.
Following another weekend of frustration over the lack of passing opportunities on the Monte Carlo street circuit - accentuated by the controversial team manipulation the situation triggered - there has been renewed talk about the need for potential tweaks to the layout.
And while the physical limitation of the harbourside venue and buildings makes it difficult to see where a major overhaul could happen, former F1 racer Wurz has outlined three tweaks that could be easily achieved to deliver an improvement.

Wurz's ideas carry some weight because he has huge experience of what is needed for successful race circuits through his track design company Wurz Design.
He is working on the new Qiddiya circuit in Saudi Arabia as well as designing a potential F1 venue in Rwanda.
In a video he posted on Instagram of a presentation of potential Monaco track changes, Wurz outlined three areas that could be modified that would help maintain the character of the circuit but open up better racing and more importantly increase chances for overtaking.

1 Moving the Nouvelle chicane​

The first area is a revamp of the Nouvelle Chicane after the tunnel.
Wurz's proposal, which has been discussed with fellow F1 drivers, is to extend the tunnel exit and move the chicane further down towards Tabac.
"I am very convinced, from my own experience watching the races and talking to my fellow drivers, that moving the chicane later, which physically with the constraints any city has, should be possible," he said.
"It means the defending for this corner - which is quite easy to do, with the kink and the bumps - will become more difficult."
One of the considerations that would need to be taken into account when working out where the chicane was placed would be ensuring that the following Tabac corner was far enough away from the chicane exit that drivers still had to lift off for it.

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2 Reprofiling Rascasse​

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A simpler change Wurz suggests is to reprofile the Rascasse corner so the apex is moved two or three metres further out.
This can be complemented with a widening of the track, although this has to bear in mind a car park ramp that features on the outside of the turn and cannot be moved.

Gary Anderson's idea for a Monaco layout change
Read more

Talking about how this improvement could change things, Wurz said: "When this apex comes further out, the entry line will definitely change.
"You will open the corner much more for a divebomb, and that means any driver ahead will either have to defend or accept he leaves the door open.
"If you're defending, you will come out much slower, so you're creating a train behind you, and the pressure on all of the drivers will simply increase.
"I think this is a small trick, quite easy to realise, but should at least engage in more fighting, more intense pressure, and perhaps overtaking."

3 The Fairmont hairpin​

The final opportunity that Wurz thinks exists to improve Monaco is to widen the entry to the Fairmont (formerly Loews) Hairpin.
Wurz believes that there is an opportunity to expand the track by just more than two metres here at both the entry and exit.
"It means drivers coming down have an easier opportunity to do a divebomb," he said. "It means the lead driver will have to defend more, so he will be slower.
"But the hairpin is very tight, so we need to also enlarge the track on the exit, lose the kerb, and have asphalt all the way to this physical wall, so we have the turning radius."
Wurz believes the value of this change is as much in creating overtaking chances for the following corners as at the hairpin itself, because defensive lines there will compromise lines and momentum towards the tunnel.
"The real ideal racing line will not change from what it is…it will just lead into a little bit more defending…and therefore this corner will actually initiate the overtaking into the new chicane," said Wurz.
"And all that together should be an improvement for the overtaking and raceability in the streets of Monaco."
Article tags:

• Formula 1

 

[najaB]

Last year Alex Wurtz suggested some what appear to be quite doable track changes. However I don’t get the impression that the ACM will to change anything unless they are absolutely forced to. I do enjoy the Monaco weekend, Saturday is fantastic, but even I think something needs to change.

I saw Gary Anderson's idea for the 1km extension which looks reasonable from a plan map, but given how narrow Avenue Princess Grace actually is, I think it's a non-starter:

Google Street View link: https://maps.app.goo.gl/ZzKXPriV1e44BmdF7

 

[Mogster]

I saw Gary Anderson's idea for the 1km extension which looks reasonable from a plan map, but given how narrow Avenue Princess Grace actually is, I think it's a non-starter:
View attachment 205666
Google Street View link: https://maps.app.goo.gl/ZzKXPriV1e44BmdF7

I really like the waterfront extension suggestion and would like to see it done. However it looks like it would need work to widen the road (haven’t been myself) and what looks like a rather nice boulevard would be ruined for the other 50 weeks of the year… Maybe they could grow the plants and trees on pallets that could be moved with a fork lift?

 

[Cloud Strife]

One thought about Monaco: could the Fairmont be convinced into changing the layout there so that the hairpin can be wider? It seems that there's definitely room there to do something with the size of the hairpin, so that there would be more room to overtake. The racing line wouldn't change, but if there was significantly more room at the hairpin, perhaps drivers could brake later into the hairpin if they were trying to overtake?

I agree with Gary Anderson's idea and I've floated the same thing before, but an even simpler idea would be for the cars to simply turn left and to go round the roundabout before entering the tunnel. The roundabout itself is quite wide, and it would perhaps give an overtaking opportunity there.

But I also think that it might just be enough to consider something like making the race four hours long. I don't think you need to interfere so much with the track as simply making it more difficult for drivers. It's hard enough to be perfect around Monaco for 78 laps, now imagine if it was 150 laps? NASCAR has races which last 3-4 hours, so I don't see why F1 drivers couldn't do the same. Heck, rather than messing with compounds, maybe it might just be enough to use a special Monaco tyre that would only be permitted for up to 25 laps? If you had drivers doing 150 laps with five pit stops, there's a very high chance that something will go wrong somewhere.

Forcing them to go 4 hours would also put a lot of emphasis on the reliability of the parts. Driving for four hours around Monaco would also be a genuine challenge for any driver, simply because there's only really one place on the track where you can switch off for a second.

 

[Tetchytyke]

Monaco is what Monaco is. It has always been the same. Senna had a car which was six seconds a lap slower than Mansell's in 1992 and Mansell still couldn't get past him.

The only way you could change things would be to have a mandatory joker lap (e.g. cutting the nouvelle chicane or Sainte Devote) or have a mandatory long lap (e.g. having a longer, slower, route through the nouvelle chicane or Casino Square) to try and prevent what we saw last year with the deliberate blocking.

 

[BuhSnarf]

One thought about Monaco: could the Fairmont be convinced into changing the layout there so that the hairpin can be wider? It seems that there's definitely room there to do something with the size of the hairpin, so that there would be more room to overtake. The racing line wouldn't change, but if there was significantly more room at the hairpin, perhaps drivers could brake later into the hairpin if they were trying to overtake?

I agree with Gary Anderson's idea and I've floated the same thing before, but an even simpler idea would be for the cars to simply turn left and to go round the roundabout before entering the tunnel. The roundabout itself is quite wide, and it would perhaps give an overtaking opportunity there.

But I also think that it might just be enough to consider something like making the race four hours long. I don't think you need to interfere so much with the track as simply making it more difficult for drivers. It's hard enough to be perfect around Monaco for 78 laps, now imagine if it was 150 laps? NASCAR has races which last 3-4 hours, so I don't see why F1 drivers couldn't do the same. Heck, rather than messing with compounds, maybe it might just be enough to use a special Monaco tyre that would only be permitted for up to 25 laps? If you had drivers doing 150 laps with five pit stops, there's a very high chance that something will go wrong somewhere.

Forcing them to go 4 hours would also put a lot of emphasis on the reliability of the parts. Driving for four hours around Monaco would also be a genuine challenge for any driver, simply because there's only really one place on the track where you can switch off for a second.

Only issue with that is that you're forcing US to watch it for four hours.

My suggestion would be to make it a non-championship race and have the drivers in smaller cars - Formula E / 4 size where there is the opportunity for overtaking. I think they also missed a trick this week in getting the battery boost at the right level that someone could effect a pass down in to turn 1.

 

[CharlieSpotted]

Suggestion : Free for all, no track limits, if you see a chance, go for it, without risk of penalty. It'll be carnage but at least there will be something to watch... in between red flags I guess.


... only *slightly* tongue in cheek here.

 

[najaB]

My suggestion would be to make it a non-championship race and have the drivers in smaller cars - Formula E / 4 size where there is the opportunity for overtaking. I think they also missed a trick this week in getting the battery boost at the right level that someone could effect a pass down in to turn 1.

How about giving every team a small car (e.g. a Fiat 500) and a fixed budget (maybe $20K) and let them modify it to their heart's content to race at Monaco. Could be fun!

 

[Tetchytyke]

Suggestion : Free for all, no track limits, if you see a chance, go for it, without risk of penalty. It'll be carnage but at least there will be something to watch... in between red flags I guess.

If you were able to give blocking cars a gentle love tap under braking it would certainly sort out a lot of the overtaking problems. Maybe we should go back to the old days when rubbing was racing.

My suggestion would be to make it a non-championship race and have the drivers in smaller cars

You could have them racing Peel P50s and it'd still be impossible to overtake around there.

 

[Tetragon213]

If you were able to give blocking cars a gentle love tap under braking it would certainly sort out a lot of the overtaking problems. Maybe we should go back to the old days when rubbing was racing.

All well and dandy until [Verstappen/Hamilton/Stroll/insert your most hated driver] crashes out your favourite driver trying to get past...

 

[QSK19]

Just make them race stock cars around there - plenty of chances to get the bumper in to get rivals out of the way!

Then, whenever somebody does get shunted out of the way, the victim can say “I think Ericsson hit us”

 

[Leyland Bus]

The Monaco pitlane speeding saga rumbles on...

Monaco penalties being reviewed after shock error revealed

Alpine has won a review of Pierre Gasly’s Monaco penalties because F1 used an inaccurate pitlane distance to measure cars' speeds

www.the-race.com

Alpine has won a review of Pierre Gasly’s podium-robbing penalties in the Monaco Grand Prix because Formula 1 used an inaccurate pitlane distance to measure the speeds of cars.

Gasly finished third on the road in Monaco but dropped to seventh after receiving two five-second penalties for speeding in the pitlane by just 0.1 and 0.4km/h.

However, Alpine has successfully presented new, significant and relevant evidence in a right of review hearing held on Thursday - leading to an immediate second hearing to actually review the penalties, which began at 1.20pm local time in Spain on Thursday.

The Race understands that it's unlikely any verdict will come through until Friday morning. The crux of Alpine’s case is the stunning revelation that Formula One Management provided evidence that the distance used in calculating the official timing - and the pitlane speed - was “inaccurate and overestimated the speed” Gasly was travelling at.This means that system was used correctly on the FIA side, hence the belief on Sunday in Monaco that everything had worked as it should, but it was compromised by being fed inaccurate FOM data.At the time, the spate of tiny speeding offences were believed to be related to cutting the pitlane in places where the road curves, which shortened the distance travelled and therefore the speed registered based on how quickly the cars covered a certain distance.

But one argument was that the angled pitlane entry and exit lines, and shape of the pitlane, could also impact how long the pitlane is judged to be depending on where it was measured from.

It is the distance calculated by F1 that the stewards view as the only significant, new and relevant piece of evidence from Alpine’s submission.

Alpine also argued that the FIA and FOM were aware in advance of the race that there was an issue with the timing loops in the pitlane, which FIA and FOM representatives “strongly refuted”.The team also had data that demonstrated Gasly activated the pitlane speed limiter in advance of entry into the pits and did not exceed the pitlane speed limit, plus a witness statement from Pierre Gasly that he took a cautious approach having been warned by his engineers.

It now raises the possibility of the result being changed - though this would likely invite more controversy given other drivers were penalised in Monaco but had them imposed during the grand prix, rather than as a time penalty added at the end.

The alternative is that the stewards double down on the penalty and instead use this as a critical lesson to ensure the scenario is never repeated.

 

[Mogster]

If you were able to give blocking cars a gentle love tap under braking it would certainly sort out a lot of the overtaking problems. Maybe we should go back to the old days when rubbing was racing.


You could have them racing Peel P50s and it'd still be impossible to overtake around there.

In Indycar there’s a no blocking rule, I suspect it started on ovals but it’s applied the same on road and street tracks. It means you cant drive on your mirrors changing line reactively to impede the overtaking driver. It means basically that the defending driver has to pick either the normal racing line or the defensive one and stick to it. The attacker then has free rein to drive around them to overtake. It does enable overtaking, a lot of the time the defending driver will just stay on the racing line and the attacker will try to out brake them on the inside. In F1 (and European racing generally) just before the braking zone the defender will check their mirrors and switch line, moving to block the attacker making overtaking next to impossible at somewhere like Monaco. I have wondered how a similar no blocking rule would work in F1.

 

[JD2168]

The Monaco pitlane speeding saga rumbles on...

Not suprised that Alpine have requested this review, it did seem pretty odd for their to have been so many drivers caught speeding.

Red Bull have also requested an additional review of the ADUO engine tests that put the Red Bull-Ford DM01 at the top above the Mercedes which has been the most dominant this year

 

[Tetragon213]

In Indycar there’s a no blocking rule, I suspect it started on ovals but it’s applied the same on road and street tracks. It means you cant drive on your mirrors changing line reactively to impede the overtaking driver. It means basically that the defending driver has to pick either the normal racing line or the defensive one and stick to it. The attacker then has free rein to drive around them to overtake. It does enable overtaking, a lot of the time the defending driver will just stay on the racing line and the attacker will try to out brake them on the inside. In F1 (and European racing generally) just before the braking zone the defender will check their mirrors and switch line, moving to block the attacker making overtaking next to impossible at somewhere like Monaco. I have wondered how a similar no blocking rule would work in F1.

It would make overtaking more commonplace (something the sport direly needs), but enforcement would be spotty and you'd get fans (and drivers) up in arms about "not being allowed to defend".

 

[Tetchytyke]

In Indycar there’s a no blocking rule, I suspect it started on ovals but it’s applied the same on road and street tracks. It means you cant drive on your mirrors changing line reactively to impede the overtaking driver.

I agree, there should be something similar in F1. I absolutely hate the moving in the braking zone, in open-wheel cars it’s bloody dangerous. I don’t think it would help much at Monaco as the defending car could just drive down the middle.

It would make overtaking more commonplace (something the sport direly needs)

I’m not sure the sport does need more overtaking tbh.

The issue with overtaking in F1 is that the fastest cars start at the front and the slowest cars start at the back. Where qualifying pace matches the race pace you could very easily end up in a situation where there are no overtakes in a race, each car just pulling away from the car behind it.

 

[JamesT]

I agree, there should be something similar in F1. I absolutely hate the moving in the braking zone, in open-wheel cars it’s bloody dangerous. I don’t think it would help much at Monaco as the defending car could just drive down the middle.

Aren't there already rules in F1 about moving in the braking zone? I seem to recall they changed things after Verstappen spent several races weaving around.

 

[SynthD]

Aren't there already rules in F1 about moving in the braking zone? I seem to recall they changed things after Verstappen spent several races weaving around.

The overall rule has been around for a while. One change of direction on the straight, none in braking.

 

[jfollows]

Gasly has had third place reinstated.

Monaco Grand Prix: Pierre Gasly regains third place after Alpine successfully appeal against penalties

Pierre Gasly is reinstated into third place in the Monaco Grand Prix, after the stewards rescind the two penalties he received for pit-lane speeding.

www.bbc.co.uk

Pierre Gasly has been returned to third place in the Monaco Grand Prix after his Alpine team successfully appealed against a penalty for pit-lane speeding.

The Frenchman was demoted to seventh place after the race by two five-second penalties for exceeding the pit-lane speed limit.

He was one of five drivers to be penalised for this during the race, an unusually high number.

A 'right of review' hearing requested by Alpine established that cars could legally drive a shorter distance in the pit lane than officials had used in their calculations.

The stewards accepted Alpine's argument, backed up by data, that Gasly had never exceeded the 60km/h limit.

The decision is a blow to Mercedes driver George Russell, who was given a drive-through penalty for pit-lane speeding which dropped him from third place at the time to 13th at the finish.

Russell's Mercedes team, as well as the teams of the other drivers who were penalised, did not object to the decisions, even though they believed their drivers had not exceeded the limit.

 

[JamesT]

Gasly has had third place reinstated.

What a mess. Gasly is reinstated to a position he was holding because he didn't take the penalty during the race. But those that did, or Russell who was further penalised for messing up the in-race penalty are stuck where they are.

 

[najaB]

Ferrari got a strategy call right. Who saw that coming?!

 

[D365]

2026 Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix - Hamilton wins from P2 on the grid, for his and Ferrari's first race victories since 2024.

The late retirement of Antonelli from P2 promoted Norris onto the podium - swings and roundabouts after Norris' own late retirement from P2 of the 2025 Dutch Grand Prix.

With Russell finishing in P2, this was the first British 1-2-3 race finish since the 1968 US Grand Prix and the first 1-2-3 race finish for any nationality since the 1983 San Marino Grand Prix (French).

 

[Leyland Bus]

2026 Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix - Hamilton wins from P2 on the grid, for his and Ferrari's first race victories since 2024.

The late retirement of Antonelli from P3 promoted Norris onto the podium - swings and roundabouts after Norris' own late retirement from P2 of the 2025 Dutch Grand Prix.

With Russell in P2, this was the first British 1-2-3 race finish since the 1968 US Grand Prix and the first 1-2-3 race finish for any nationality since the 1983 San Marino Grand Prix (French).

And all the teams Lewis had raced for in F1, in acending order... freaky!!!

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 14 Jun 2026 ==

A cracking race, Ferrari doing well on strategy was very reminicent of the Schumacher/Ross Brawn era, taking a different approach, fast qualy like laps on the meduims and whilst the VSC helped, I think they had the pace regardless...

 

[stuart81]

I’m not a Hamilton fan at all but you have to wonder Ferraris long term plan, if it’s Bearman maybe they should have put him with Hamilton for a couple of years as LeClerec looks less and less a team leader each year

 

[Loadhaul60059]

I’m not a Hamilton fan at all but you have to wonder Ferraris long term plan, if it’s Bearman maybe they should have put him with Hamilton for a couple of years as LeClerec looks less and less a team leader each year

Leclerc has just signed a new contract, so he'll be there until at least the end of 2028.

Leclerc's been unfortunate in the last couple of races, two DNF's through no fault of his own. Qualifying yesterday was another matter though. Do feel he's too sensitive when the car isn't just right for him, and as a result the mistakes creep in.

I've been a Ferrari fan since I was a small boy, but I've spent over a decade hating Hamilton after he constantly beat Ferrari and ergo caused me a great deal of pain. Feeling a bit conflicted today!

 

[JD2168]

Lewis was a deserving winner of the race with Ferrari having the much better race pace. He would have won without the Alonso triggered VSC as he was so much quicker at the time. The Mercedes strategy didn’t work as they were too slow towards the end of each stint, particularly Russell. As this was the first really hot weather race this year could this trend be continued?

Norris managed the podium but not really on pace as he benefited from Antonelli’s retirement, Mercedes reliability could be called into question especially after failures for George & the McLaren’s earlier this season.

Verstappen didn’t have the pace to get amongst the podium places but he had more than enough to beat Leclerc until Charles retirement & a rather off colour Piastri who had very little pace at all.

 

[Nicholas Lewis]

Antonelli unlucky and saved Russell blushes so he remains favorite to take the title still

 

[DelW]

Antonelli unlucky and saved Russell blushes so he remains favorite to take the title still

Antonelli would probably have dropped back to third anyway, as he was given a five second penalty for track limits violations.
That became irrelevant when his car expired. Obviously that benefitted George more, and at least evened out the bad luck of car failures.