What the F1 drivers think of proposed Monaco track changes

Following a processional Monaco Grand Prix last weekend, there were renewed calls for something to change in a bid to boost the show.

F1 trialled a mandatory two-stop strategy for all drivers at this year's event, but it failed to offer a solution to what has traditionally been a race with very little overtaking.

The track is one of the most historic and recognisable on the calendar, but it is notoriously narrow - making overtaking a near impossible task.

Chairman of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association Alex Wurz presented his own ideas to make the task easier.

These included changes to the Fairmont hairpin, extending the track out of the tunnel into a 90-degree turn and widening the Rascasse corner.

But what do the F1 drivers think of the proposal?

Charles Leclerc, who is a Monaco native, thinks the changes to the Turn 10 may be tricky to achieve - but he recognises something must be done to improve the spectacle. 

“Maybe the one Turn 10 that he proposed to delay [into] the sea is a bit more tricky to achieve, but the two others I think are good ideas,” Leclerc told media including RacingNews365.

“Is it going to significantly change the action on Sunday in Monaco? I honestly don't think so. Do we need to make absolutely every possible effort to make it better on the Sunday? Definitely.”

However, Mercedes' George Russell does not think track changes are absolutely essential for the event.

“The small problem you have in Monaco is the one overtaking opportunity, which is out of the tunnel,” he said. 

“The natural racing line is—you're going from a left, braking through the middle of the track and then you pull over to the right. So, it's very easy for a driver to position his car.

“But part of me just thinks we need to accept Monaco for what it is. Formula 1 is better by having Monaco on the calendar. It is the most exhilarating qualifying of the season. 

“The race is always pretty boring, but it also makes us appreciate the other races as well. So I don’t know, to be honest. Sorry for the long one.”

Carlos Sainz stated it would provide a small boost - but is not confident it would make any real difference to the show.

“It would help, but only one to five per cent of the issue we have,” the Williams driver commented. 

“I think you could still position the car in the middle of the track, go 30 km/h, and still not get overtaken. 

“You would need to be a bit clever about it and maybe more worried looking in the mirror in case someone sends one on the inside because it’s a bit wider. 

“But the cars are so wide you can go as slow as you want—they’re not going to pass you. 

“That’s why we were driving four or five seconds off the pace. So small change, small benefit. I think we need something even bigger than that.”

Sainz's feeling was shared by Esteban Ocon, who bagged seventh place last weekend around the Principality.

"I think Alex has great ideas,” Ocon said. “Every single time we look at things with him, he's got the racing driver eye, which is a very good thing. I think it would definitely go in the right direction. Would it be enough? Probably not. 

“But I think he stayed on the realistic side, which is a very good thing. I think the best thing would be to have no chicanes and run it until Turn 12.

"But we need some run-off at Turn 12 to hope for an overtaking, have the DRS just after the tunnel and keep going flat out all the way to the end.”

Finally, Oscar Piastri, who took the final spot on the podium last weekend, quipped the drivers should race go-karts at Monaco as the cars are too wide for any sort of change.

"I think the only way you can encourage overtaking at Monaco really is by changing the track in some way, shape or form, or making the cars half the size they are,” he said. 

“They are getting smaller next year, but they need to be a lot smaller. Maybe we should just have a go-kart race around there, that might help. But I do think tweaking the track is the only real thing. 

“Having more pitstops is obviously not going to change it as we saw, so I think that's the most realistic route. But there's also not that much space to do that either.”