Formula 1 drivers are thinking about how to help with the overtaking problem at the Monaco Grand Prix.
The subject was returned to the spotlight last weekend after a Targuid race, where he saw a single overtake completed after the opening lap.
In the wake of a call to improve Monaco, the Formula 1 circuit designer and former racer turned GPDA (Grand Prix Driver Association) president Alex Weltz and proposed three potential changes he thinks would create opportunities for overtaking.
Wurz’s idea became a hot topic at the Barcelona Padock ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix this weekend, with drivers being asked about their opinions as F1’s new forced two-stop rule failed to liven up the race.
Wurz’s “wise” idea was praised
Williams driver Alex Albon was one of those who praised Weltz’s idea as “very wise.”
Regarding the proposed changes to extend the run to New Cicuné, Albon said: “I think half of the problem is that they’re braking downhill and being bumpy on the defensive.
“So the idea of having 80 metres and following the truck into a brake area that will track it and flatten it would give drivers a lot more confidence to send it.
“I think you saw that, but as soon as you brake late, when it gets downhill, if you add a pitch to the car, then it gets downhill, so add a pitch and create all this extra rear limit for the car.
“That’s when the car gets these big crashes that lose the rear.
“That’s going to work.”
Albon also suggested that the driver should be able to use DR on turn 1.
“One more, I don’t know if F1 will consider this, but I’ll make the DRS turn one,” he added. “In China and Japan, we did that. It’s up to us to turn it off manually.
“I know that they aren’t really these things, but if you control DRS, you want to risk using DRS through the tunnel. You’ll get off when you go through the corner and reopen at the exit.
“That could help too, so I think there are a few things that you can try, or at least talk about.”
After the first lap, one overtaking was completed
Small benefits in the right direction
“They’re the ones who are in the process of exploring their lives,” said Williams’ teammate Carlos Sainz.
“He made Lowes wider, Lowes’ entries wider, and Lascus entry a little tighter. These three changes.
“I think you can put your car in the middle of the truck and move it to 30 km/h and not overtake it. You’re a little smarter and a little wider, so you have to look in the mirror and worry in case someone is sending it inside.
“But the car is so wide, you can go as slowly as you like. They won’t overtake you. So we were driving four or five seconds from the pace. I think we need very small changes, small profits. I think we need more.”
Meanwhile, Esteban Ocon from Haas commented: “Alex has great ideas. Every time he sees things with him, he has the eyes of a racing driver.
“I think it definitely goes in the right direction. I think it’s enough, or maybe not, but he stayed on the realistic side, which is a very good thing.
“I think the best thing is to do it to 12 spins without having the chicanese, but you need some spill to expect to pass on turn 12.
“But looking at what Alex did, that’s probably the most realistic thing we can do.”
F1 car size problem
Liam Lawson believes that the biggest problem preventing overtaking is the size of current generation F1 cars, which is the biggest car ever.
“We need something to allow multiple cars to be wider. This is a large part of Monaco. Compared to previous cars, the cars are now quite large,” Kiwi said.
“So it’s just getting very, very difficult. In some ways, you don’t want to change Monaco much because there’s history behind it. But at the same time, things are progressing and definitely need to do something.
And drivers of the Racing Bulls doubt whether the small, lighter cars introduced as part of the 2026 regulations are “sufficient to make a lot of difference.”
“Monaco was never a good race.”
Rand Norris, who claimed his maiden victory in the Principality last weekend, stressed that Monaco had not been a particularly exciting race to date.
“Monaco wasn’t a good race on Sunday,” said the McLaren driver. “But it’s a race that everyone wants to win. It’s something that everyone looks forward to most every season, and that’s always been the case.
“Even some of the best races you’ve ever seen, Zero is overtaking it. I’m getting more mixed up about my opinion on whether it should change that much. I don’t think you’re going to make it a great race.
“A good race was like that, it was raining midway through and I’m not saying it’s never, I’m just saying it’s never.
“I think there are things I can do, but that’s from a car perspective. But it’s also a truck. It’s a street circuit. Overtaking on most streets is a bit difficult unless you have a two-kilometer straight like Baku.
Norris claimed his first victory on F1’s most famous track
Is the answer the more exciting qualification?
Norris went on to suggest that qualifying could increase and turn into “more special events.”
“I think we’ll put more pressure on Saturday,” Norris added. “Maybe we should make a more special event on Saturday. One-lap shootout – a more exciting Saturday. I just don’t think you can do much on Sunday.
“If you want to create a bigger event, and if you want to make it a more eligible event, I don’t think you can change the race, unless you don’t make your car half its current size.
“I don’t think there’s a need to change that much. There was never anything else other than what we were doing now, so I think people should be happy with what it is.”
Would you accept Monaco for what it is?
Reflecting Norris’ similar ideas, George Russell said, “Monaco has always been the same. Some of the proposed track changes won’t make it worse.
“The small problem in Monaco is one overtaking opportunity outside the tunnel. The natural racing line is to go from the left, brake in the middle of the track and pull to the right.
“So it’s very easy for a driver to place his car. But honestly, I don’t have an answer. Maybe overriding the manual might be the solution.
“And if you have more power just to overtake someone in an unconventional space, that’s not going to make the show worse.
“But part of me thinks Monaco needs to accept what it is. Formula 1 is better by putting Monaco on the calendar.”
