The Monaco Grand Prix is Formula 1's biggest race of the year. Part of the Triple Crown of Auto Racing along with the Indianapolis 500 and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. They first started racing here in 1929. It's a temporary street circuit around the streets of Monte Carlo. It's probably the most picturesque track of the F1 schedule. Don't believe me? Look at the image below.
Ariel shot of Monaco
Ariel shot of Monaco
Plus look at some these track features.
Not to mention the greats who won here. Graham Hill, Senna, Schumacher, Hamilton, Vettel etc. So now begs the question why do I think it's overrated compared to the other 2 Triple Crown events I'll admit I've got only one main reason BUT it's a BIG case for my arguement.
The on track product
Some racing action at the 2017 Monaco GP
Some racing action at the 2017 Monaco GP
The main reason I think Monaco's overrated and I think F1 fans will agree with me on this. There's hardly any passing! Even with the mid-pack or backmarkers there's hardly any passing. Not to mention each year it gets more boring and boring. Why is that? Well there are 3 main reasons the first one is simple, the Monaco track is freaking narrow. If you look at the pictures I've posted you'll notice how narrow it is and how close you are to the walls and barriers.
Second another simple reason the track layout is small. You can't help that nobody can for such a historic city like Monte Carlo. But take a look at the first image on this article. Keep in mind this is F1's smallest track at 2.074 miles(3.337 kilometers) then you realize even with the DRS it almost impossible to pass. You can be leading, have a big malfunction in your car and you'd still probably win. That's no exaggeration, Daniel Riccardo's MGU-K failed in 2018's Monaco GP and 2nd place Sebastian Vettel still won. Compare that less than a year later at the 2019 Bahrain Grand Prix. Charles Leclerc's MGU-K failed while leading and he got passed by Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas for the top 2 and only a timely safety car saved him a podium from Max Verstappen.
3rd reason is more complex for safety reasons but it still plays a role to Monaco's Disadvantage. Formula cars are getting bigger and bigger
Ferrari f1 cars of years past
Ferrari f1 cars of years past
OK before anyone else mentions it, I'm aware the picture above is of Die-cast. But if they are of accurate scale that proves a point. F1 cars are getting bigger and wider. Like I said it's for safety reasons but that affects the racing big-time! All a driver has to do is hold a specific line and that'll keep the car behind from passing
Now for a comparison
Let's look at this year's Monaco GP to this year's Indy 500. I know it's apples vs oranges like each Indy racer having the same chassis compared to F1 but l'm gonna go ahead anyway. Let's be real, Max Verstappen kicked everyone else's butt won he won Monaco by leading every single lap. I know he started 2nd technically but that's only because pole sitter Leclerc had pre-race problems from a qualifying crash so Leclerc couldn't even start. Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves at Indy on the other hand didn't kick butt. He started the race in 8th. The guy who led the most laps was Conor Daly and he started 19th. He led 40 of the 200 laps and probably would have led more if he didn't hit Graham Rahal's runaway tire. Helio only led 20 of the 200 laps, and he had do to battle with Alex Palou near the end. Keep also in mind at the time Helio was 46 and Palou was 24. Huge age difference but they were still close together and this year's 500 was a great barnburner.
Now I'm gonna leave it to you is Monaco overrated? I've got a poll below, comment below your opinion see you later,
Keyword: Unpopular Opinion: The Monaco Grand Prix is Overrated