No more Monaco?

[raceman]

[-X

nooooooooooooo

plsssssss, let Monaco remain on the calender. where else you will find the sexiest babes showcasing their stuff on F1 calender?? just for our eyes' sake, let Monaco be on!

[Hangaku]

I say drop Monaco.

It's no good for modern F1 cars. And I'm sorry, but the spectacle was left in the 80s. If you've ever been to Monaco, you'll see that it's a sorry shadow of it's former self. Yes, there is big boats, and lots of women, but the place is starting to look old and run-down - things have been the same for a looong time, and it's starting to show.

No, the spectacle these days is elsewhere. The only way for Monaco to move forward, is for a massive injection of money to bring the place up to spec.

[andrew]

The only way for Monaco to move forward, is for a massive injection of money to bring the place up to spec.

You mean get a few millionaires and billionaires to stick their hand in their pocket? No chance.

[manchild]

It's no good for modern F1 cars.

What does that mean? It was good for cars from 1920s to 2010, almost a century, and now it is "not good". Any circuit is good for any cars, but unfortunately modern teams are corporate exponents caring only about money, while most of modern drivers are calculating, racing only when there's chance for title - That is why you get what you call "dull processions" in recent decade or so, not just in Monaco.

Check youtube for Senna/Mansell battle in 1992, last 3 laps. That was also a procession, no one overtook anybody but that was pure racing. Nowdays, any driver in Mansell's place would get team order not to risk and keep the points. Don't put the blame on circuit instead of hypocrite corporate world which F1 has became the part of.

And I'm sorry, but the spectacle was left in the 80s. If you've ever been to Monaco, you'll see that it's a sorry shadow of it's former self. Yes, there is big boats, and lots of women, but the place is starting to look old and run-down - things have been the same for a looong time, and it's starting to show.

Personally, I like it like that. A mixture of vintage with modern technology that gives the place its charm. Always was, always will be.

Concrete arches, grandstands and football field-sized tarmac runoff areas make Tilke's circuits completely lifeless and sterile.

No, the spectacle these days is elsewhere.

Where?

In Bahrain, Abu Dhabi, China, Turkey, Sepang...? Compare the average width of those new circuits with Monaco, compare number of overtaking, and you'll see that those artificial circuits are much duller than Monaco, with nothing to see beside the circuit.


When it matters andrew's comments I have to agree with Tom's suggestion about his age.

[gibells]

Even now it's a genuinely thrilling thing seeing guys like Hamilton/Alonso/Vettel absolutely 'on it' around tight and twisties with less than an inch of clearance to the armco's. The is no chance for error. Ok, sure driving within the limit might make it tedious, but when you have the 'special ones' slamming it around it makes for a great watch. Watching them steer around the dump at the mirabeau. It's the same reason I charge the Silverstone organisers not to take the bump out at Farm.

Until you can prove that these other new tracks bring in the spectacle, then no way can you get rid of Monaco. And don't forget why we're losing this. Hek, we lost Spa for the same reasons. Nearly lost Silverstone too. Turkey is a great example to make my point. Great racing there, but absolutely no atmosphere and virtually no one there to watch it. Isn't racing about us as well?

Also, you can make a track 20 metres wide, but until you stop the marbling effect on the tyres, the track is always effectively about 2 metres wide.

I think for Monaco the organisers should furnish the wheels with 1970's rubber. Hard as hell so there's plenty of sliding about.

F1 is very much about heritage. That's why we care about Ferrari and Lotus and McLaren. Why everyone was so pleased when Spa came back, and Silverstone was saved. And don't me any bull about purist racing. Open wheeled racing is all about heritage and not at all about only the racing. If not we'd cover the wheels, have ground effects, bring back TC, Active Suspension, eccetra eccetra eccetra.

[Richard]

I look forward to the Monaco weekend with expection. There is often some calamity, or turning of the tables. I think it is something about the bizarre nature of the circuit that causes people to take unusual decisions, plus the zero margin for error. Certainly not dull.

Oh, and I usually spend the race weekend coverage watching the on-board camera thinking "OMG" how can a human do that?

[andrew]

The history is fine if you like to look back with rose tinted glasses and wotnot but if you want to see proper racing, Monaco just does not deliver. Sure there is skill in keeping the cars out of the barriers but it is too often a high speed procession with no overtaking opportuities.

[alberto222mx]

The history is fine if you like to look back with rose tinted glasses and wotnot but if you want to see proper racing, Monaco just does not deliver. Sure there is skill in keeping the cars out of the barriers but it is too often a high speed procession with no overtaking opportuities.

I agree that some races in Monaco are just processions, but if that is the only reason to throw out a circuit from F1 there are a few that should be gone before Monaco, IMO Valencia and Bahrein for saying something.

Beside, I´m pretty sure that Bernie won´t say goodbye to Monaco's glamour.

[Ciro Pabón]

Do we have to post for people to learn what you and me like? Could it be that we have our Twitter and F1Technical adresses mixed in our Favorites list?

As in other threads, final word: post something about the track, please. Give us some news we haven't read. Explain to us on what the track's life depends.

All the "XXX-is-evil-and-that's-why-things-are-happening" posts will be deleted, btw.

I was going to mock people that propose some tracks, but then I thought: "poor souls, they have no idea what a Class 1 track is". If I had the time... sigh.

[HVS5b]

I'd dump Monaco purely as it is not the challenge it once was.

The reconfiguring of St Devot, swimming pool and in particular Ras Cas has left the track with only half its teeth and now rarely produces good races.

Qualifying is great after the first cut of slow cars, but there needs to be more than hotlapping in order to maintain its place in the calender, imo anyways

History, shmistory. However, should it be dropped in favour of a new Russian* (and prolly Tilke designed??) track? No. Dropped in favour of Portimao, probably. Istanbul apart modern day circuits are very sanitised, tame and do not make for good viewing (Valencia, Indy, Singapore, Qatar, Bahrain - yawn).

The only reason Monaco remains on the calender is glamour.

*Oh, quick caveat: unless the new Russian track is 14 miles long and has around 180 corners

[raceman]

The only reason Monaco remains on the calender is glamour.

and that's what we want (apart from an F1 race close to the walls)!

[andrew]

I was going to mock people that propose some tracks, but then I thought: "poor souls, they have no idea what a Class 1 track is". If I had the time... sigh.

For my list above, I was aware of this and should have caveated my post that I was working on the assumption that they all had this (though I know the A1 Ring is a mess).

[andrew]

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/85416

Latest from Autosport on the Monaco GP. Looks like Bernie is just posturing at the moment.

[WhiteBlue]

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/85416

Latest from Autosport on the Monaco GP. Looks like Bernie is just posturing at the moment.

viewtopic.php?p=186285#p186285

[andrew]

And that requires laughter does it? [-X