Monaco’s Quali Heaven, Sunday Hell: Should It Stay or Should It Go?

Ah, Monaco. The jewel of the calendar. The catwalk of F1. The place where pole position often means race victory. But also—the graveyard of wheel-to-wheel racing. This weekend, more than ever, we were left wondering: is Monaco still worth the Sunday slog?

Saturday Magic: The Art of Qualifying

Let’s be honest—qualifying in Monaco is the best thing in motorsport. And 2025 was a masterclass. The track evolution? Unreal. Every lap in Q3 felt like a new world record. It was a spectacle for the ages.

• Charles Leclerc lit up the timesheets early with a provisional pole.

• Then came Lando Norris, with a blistering lap that set a new track record.

• Piastri couldn’t piece it together when it mattered, sadly.

• Lewis Hamilton clocked in P4, but then—cue the drama—got handed a 3-place grid penalty for impeding.

The Ferraris? Rapid. The crowd? Electric. The tension? Unbearable in the best way.

Meanwhile, Mercedes’ Saturday spiraled. Kimi Antonelli binned it, and George Russell’s car just… didn’t. They ended up P14 and P15. Not exactly silver arrows—more like silver slingshots without the pull.

Sunday Slump: Two Stops, Zero Action

2025 brought a long-awaited change: mandatory two pit stops at Monaco. Sounds exciting, right?

Wrong.

This wasn’t strategy; it was strategic sabotage. A rule meant to spice up the race ended up exposing every flaw in modern F1 around tight tracks. We didn’t get chaos. We got a comedy.

It all started with Lawson playing rear-gunner to Isack Hadjar, deliberately backing the field to manufacture a double stop window. The Racing Bulls? Tactical masterminds or the villains of the weekend—depends on who you ask.

Then Williams said, “Hold my wheel.” Enter Alex Albon, going 5 seconds slower per lap, holding back the entire midfield so his teammate could execute the same plan. George Russell, with much more pace, still couldn’t get by—not on-track, not legally.

Russell eventually overtook off-track, got slapped with a drive-through penalty, and still somehow came out in better shape than he started. What even was this race?

Meanwhile, Kimi Antonelli got lapped. Three times. Yes, rookie of the year levels of lapping, all thanks to Albon’s moving chicane impression. This was giving Mazepin in Mexico 2021 energy. And no one asked for that flashback.

💤 Up Front? Nothing Happened

At the pointy end of the field? • Max Verstappen pitted on Lap 76 of 77, just for kicks it seems.

• Isaac Hadjar made moves, but aside from that, the Top 10 was a snooze.

• Lewis Hamilton quietly drove a very tidy race from P7 to P5, the best he could do with what he had—but even then, he finished 48 seconds behind P4.

Everyone behind him? Lapped.

So, yeah. Good qualifying. Sunday? A tragedy.

🧠 So… Keep Monaco or Ditch It?

Let’s not sugarcoat it. This race was not even mediocre. It was strategic theatre in the worst sense.

Do we blame the track? The cars? The two-stop rule?

Honestly? All of it.

And it’s maddening, because Monaco is history. It’s prestige. It’s unique. I love Monaco with every fiber of my racing heart. But I’ve made peace with this truth:

Monaco is a Saturday circuit. Full stop.

Sunday? I’ll keep my popcorn. Just don’t expect action.

Even George Russell, GPDA director himself, suggested random sprinklers and 15 pit stops to make it work. Meanwhile, Kimi called it “a relaxing race.” Contradictions galore.

Final Thoughts: The Monaco Dilemma

If 2025 proved anything, it’s that forcing overtakes doesn’t make Monaco better. It just exposes how modern F1 can’t work there without chaos—and even then, the chaos has to be the right kind.

Maybe we go back to one-stoppers. Maybe we let Monaco be what it is. Or maybe… it’s time to admit that Monaco’s Sunday is broken beyond repair.

But come Saturday? You’ll still find me glued to the screen.

-Lights Out