The Monaco Grand Prix is one of the most historic races on the F1 calendar, and has also held a unique position in terms of its unusual weekend format. For many years, practice sessions for the event would take place on a Thursday, rather than a Friday as is the case at the majority of races. This tradition originated from the fact that the Ascension Day holiday usually coincides with Formula 1's visit to Monaco, so the Friday was left as a day off to honour this. However, the weekend will become a three-day one in 2022, with Free Practice being held on Friday rather than Thursday, though support races will still take place on Thursday.
Why has the Monaco Grand Prix weekend changed?
The change will bring the Monaco Grand Prix schedule in line with other events on the calendar, with race weekends now more compressed than in previous years to compensate for the busy 22-race season. As part of the new 'shortened' format, media sessions now take place on a Friday morning prior to Free Practice. Due to this rethink, Formula 1 decided to make the same change to the Monaco weekend. This is perhaps especially welcome on this occasion, given that the Monte Carlo event forms the second half of back-to-back races with the Spanish Grand Prix. As such, the teams now have an extra day to get set up and prepared in the Principality. However, in many instances, Thursdays remain a busy day for those involved, with the drivers often facing other media commitments.
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