“I think the F1 had a big change in Zandvoort,” Frederic Vasseur following speculations around the future of the Monaco GP
Monaco Grand Prix
The Monaco Grand Prix is a historial circuit in the history of Formula 1. The first Grand Prix there was held in 1929, and in this long, 93 year old journey, the track has seen every single F1 legend to ever race on the circuit; Niki Lauda, Ayerton Senna (nicknamed King of Monaco after having the most wins), and Michael Schumacher.
But as 2022 passes, the contract of Monaco comes to an end, and there are talks and speculations that the iconic track might not be renewed. This has brought many drivers and fans into question, as it is one of the highly praised circuits, and also one of the highest grossing circuits.
Watch: How to Master the Monaco GP – Special Edition! | Nico Rosberg
Drivers like Lewis Hamilton, Daniel Ricciardo are against the idea of canceling the Grand Prix, while most drivers haven’t given their opinion about it.
One of the major factors that might play the role in canceling the Grand Prix is because of the way the track is formed. The track hasn’t changed even a bit since 1929, and obviously it was designed for the cars of that time to race, and as we can see, the F1 cars now are massive when compared to the cars of that era. The 2021 Monaco GP witnessed as few as a single overtake. Drivers can barely hit the 8th gear while driving. So it is certainly a question as to whether these new cars are suitable to drive on this circuit (which mostly aren’t).
This less competitiveness during the race can play a major role in F1 not renewing the track for next year.
Frederic Vasseur suggests changes for Monaco.
Alfa Romeo’s team principal Frederic Vasseur believes that Zandvoort could be an example for Monaco to upgrade and be a “show for the fans.” The Zandvoort GP returned last year for the first time after 1985, with a completely different layout of the track, suiting the new generation of Formula 1, the same could be done for Monaco instead of canceling the Grand Prix.
“Yeah, I mean, it’s unimaginable to think of Formula 1 without Monaco, it is the jewel in the crown. But you know, everything does evolve over time. And, you know, when you look at Wimbledon, they now have a roof when it rains.
“So, you know, they’ve got to move as the sport continues to grow. And I think that if Monaco was a new circuit coming on to the calendar now and they said, ‘Well, you’re going to have the lowest fee of every single circuit, you’re going to go there you can’t overtake’ it would never be accepted onto the calendar,” stated Vasseur, as quoted by PlanetF1.
The current Monaco GP is set to be held on 29th of May, which would be round 7 of this year’s F1 championship.
Gunaditya Tripathi
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