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The Formula 1 circus is headed to its favorite destination: Monaco. But as we all know, the principality is best known for its glamour and ridiculous displays of wealth rather than on-track action. That said, there’s a good chance that this year things could be better. Will the new (and massaged) 2026 regulations help make the Monaco Grand Prix more exciting?
There have been several entertaining races this season, thus far, though last weekend’s Canadian GP was by far the best. And it wasn’t just Sunday, either, with plenty of action taking place on the Sprint and even qualifying. There was the Mercedes rivalry between George Russell and Kimi Antonelli, Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton scoring a podium, and Cadillac’s best performance so far (Sprint).
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For what it’s worth, it seems teams and drivers are becoming more accustomed to the 2026 regulations and the minor tweaks rolled out ahead of Miami, and as a result, we’re seeing even more passing and wheel-to-wheel racing. We’ve seen Ferrari up its game, and despite what it seemed like back in Japan, it has not fallen behind McLaren in outright performance. Whether Maranello can keep up that pace of development—and not screw up race-day strategies—is yet to be seen, but so far, so good. I mean, how good was it to see Hamilton fight Verstappen for a podium position?
Furthermore, Ferrari has been singled out as a legit threat in Monaco, given that its current package favors the handling-heavy street course, rather than long straights and sweeping high-speed corners that expose the Ferraris’ top-speed deficit.
This is also good news for many drivers in the midfield and even toward the back of the grid. I’m referring to the Racing Bulls, Haas, Audi, and even Cadillac. These guys will be aching to get a decent quali setup so they can start further up the grid and avoid any mayhem come Sunday. And while it’s hard to predict where exactly Red Bull will be, given their volatile performance this year so far, Verstappen will surely fight like hell to make the most of his underperforming machine.
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Then there’s Mercedes. Certainly the favorite to win in Monaco, but if we know one thing about that place, it is that things are never quite as straightforward as they seem. One crash, one ill-timed yellow flag, or sometimes just a few raindrops are all it takes to shake up the field, leading to a surprise finish.
All in all, it will be interesting to see how the new cars perform around Monaco and how drivers will try to maximize every bit of energy and aero advantage on qualifying and race day. Who knows, maybe new regulations and a new spot in the calendar (Monaco used to take place on Memorial Day weekend) will be enough to revamp the whole show.
What do you think?
As deputy editor, Jerry draws on a decade of industry experience and a lifelong passion for motorsports to guide The Drive’s short- and long-term coverage.
