Why Monaco looks set to stay on the F1 calendar beyond 2022

The President of the Automobile Club de Monaco, Michel Boeri, says the Monaco Grand Prix will continue to remain on the F1 calendar beyond 2022.

Monaco is one of four events on the current schedule whose contracts to host a Grand Prix do not extend beyond the end of this year.

With Las Vegas joining in 2023, and races in Qatar and China also set to return to the calendar that year, Monaco had been rumoured to be at risk of being dropped, but Boeri has poured cold water on such speculation.

"I can guarantee you that after 2022, the [Monaco] Grand Prix will continue to take place," Boeri told La Gazette de Monaco.

"I don't know if the contract will be for three or five years, but that's just detail."

Monaco's glamour status under threat

Monaco has been a mainstay on the F1 calendar since 1955, despite a lack of overtaking opportunities at the harbourfront Circuit de Monaco often dividing opinions on the event.

The event's status as F1's most glamorous Grand Prix is also under threat from an increasing number of glitzy street races, and McLaren Team Principal Zak Brown is one who thinks Monaco needs to adapt to changing times.

"Monaco always stood for the most glamorous part of Formula 1. I think Miami, Singapore, Las Vegas are starting to add some pretty glamorous markets," Brown told Reuters.

"I think Monaco needs to come up to the same commercial terms as other Grands Prix, and also maybe needs to work with ways they can adapt their track, because as our cars have become bigger, the racing has become more difficult.

"You do need to take into consideration history, but then I think you need to take into consideration the show that it puts on."

Monaco pays less than other races

Monaco's perceived importance to F1 means its organisers have historically paid a significantly lower hosting fee than some other races.

The ACM pay just a $15 million hosting fee to stage their Grand Prix, which is dwarfed by sums paid by Saudi Arabia, Azerbaijan and Qatar, which pay $55 million per year each for their place on the calendar.

"There is also an element, which shouldn't drive our decisions, but should be part of our decisions, of what's the economic contribution to the sport," continued Brown.

"I'd much rather have Monaco than not, but just like the sport is bigger than any one driver or team, I think it's bigger than any one Grand Prix."

Gasly keen to keep Monaco, Spa

With the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa also thought to be at risk, AlphaTauri driver Pierre Gasly spoke of his desire to keep both races on the calendar.

"Monaco kind of feels like a home race, and Spa is the closest race to my hometown, so I usually have a lot of support there," Gasly told media including RacingNews365.com.

"Spa and Monaco are my two favourite tracks. I think they are clearly part of the history and the DNA of Formula 1 and they deserve to be, and should be, on the calendar every year.

"We know in F1 nowadays, there are a lot of things involved in how they plan the whole season, so we'll see what happens, but, personally, I really hope that we can keep them over the next few years."