Formula 1 is heading to one of the three events that make up motorsport's prestigious Triple Crown – the Monaco Grand Prix.
 |
| Photo: Guido De Bortoli |
This legendary circuit is renowned for its prestige, but at the same time, it is also known for producing rather processional races with very few overtakes. As a result, qualifying usually plays a decisive role in determining the race winner.
The statistics speak for themselves:
During Formula 1's hybrid era (2014–present), Monaco has hosted 11 Grands Prix. Of those, seven were won by drivers starting from pole position. That represents a success rate of approximately 63.6%, which is significantly higher than at most other circuits on the Formula 1 calendar.
To improve the racing spectacle, Formula 1 introduced a mandatory two-stop strategy for last year's Monaco Grand Prix. However, the experiment failed to deliver the expected excitement and instead created somewhat artificial racing. As a result, the rule has been dropped for this year.
Active aerodynamics
Since the start of this season, Formula 1 cars have been using active aerodynamics on straights to increase top speed. This system can be activated only in designated "Straight Mode Zones."
There were five such zones in Australia, four in China, two in Japan, and two in both Miami and Canada.
Monaco is famous for having almost no straights, apart from the start-finish straight, which is not really straight at all. This is one of the reasons why the FIA has decided not to designate any Straight Mode Zones at Monaco, effectively disabling the active aero system for the weekend. The second reason is safety.
The safety concern is straightforward: with active aerodynamics enabled, cars would reach significantly higher speeds on the approach to the Nouvelle Chicane after exiting the tunnel, an area with limited run-off space.
Energy management
As mentioned, Monaco features very few straights and a large number of slow-speed corners. This combination allows drivers to recover energy efficiently, meaning they will be permitted to use the maximum available energy allocation in qualifying – 9 MJ.
Because engine performance is generally less important at Monaco than at other circuits, Ferrari believes it could have a realistic opportunity to challenge Mercedes for victory this weekend.
Is the compression ratio saga over?
At the beginning of the season, one of the main technical talking points was the engine compression ratio.
The compression ratio is the relationship between the maximum and minimum volume of a cylinder within an engine.For 2026, it was reduced to 16:1, which sparked considerable discussion. According to reports, Mercedes had discovered a method of effectively increasing the ratio under certain temperature conditions.
This alleged loophole is expected to be closed, as from June 1 the FIA will measure the compression ratio at a standardised temperature of 130°C.
The question remains how significantly this will affect Mercedes from this weekend onwards.
The red lights will go out on Sunday at 15:00 CET.