Monaco rules out making changes to its Formula 1 track layout | Formula 1

7th Oct 2026

The president of the Automobile Club de Monaco says it will not make changes to the layout of the famous circuit.

The 3.3 kilometre circuit is the shortest and narrowest on the calendar. It has frequently been criticised for producing processional races because Formula 1 cars find it so difficult to overtake.

Although the track’s configuration has been revised many times since its first grand prix in 1929, the limited space available in the Principality makes significant alterations and widening impossible. Monaco has reclaimed land from the sea for construction purposes, such as when the ‘Nouvelle’ chicane was built 40 years ago, but ACM president Michel Boeri denied they plan to do so in future.

“Very importantly, the circuit will not be changed, contrary to what I’ve heard many people suggest,” he told Nice-Matin. “Demolishing this or moving that would automatically trigger a fresh review of the circuit and require new FIA homologation.”

Formula 1 has extended its contract to race in Monaco twice in the last two years. Its current deal will keep it on the calendar until at least 2035.

Boeri said F1 promoters Liberty Media saw the value of keeping one of the most historic venues on the calendar.

“They’re not here out of charity,” he said. “They’re here to make money. And we’re here to give them as little as possible and make as much as possible ourselves. It’s a straightforward, fair contest in an open market.

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“Our American friends realised how responsive we could be. Unlike those who still call Monaco ‘the merry-go-round’ and would do well to update their thinking, we reached an understanding in principle that the grand prix is a major draw for Formula 1. We weren’t going to be constantly hassled over whether a kerb had two or three too many corners.”

However Boeri indicated Monaco may find a way to increase the space available in the pit lane. “The grand prix’s future is secured until 2035, but with this platform and the building that will be constructed on it, we might be able to rethink the grid area and perhaps even extend the contract further,” he said, “All of that remains to be defined.

“It’s no secret, for example, that the pit lane will be difficult to sustain much longer. Space is limited, and the garages aren’t wide enough. And when you don’t have width on the ground, you build upward.

“I can already hear all the non possumus [‘not possible’] objections that will come from this area, but eventually people will see reason. I’m no gardener, but there’s more than one kind of tree, for example.”

The difficulty of overtaking in Monaco led F1 to introduce a rules change last year forcing drivers to make two tyre changes. The result was an even more processional race in which several cars deliberately lapped very slowly, prompting criticism from drivers which led to the rule being dropped.

Monaco will hold a sprint race for the first time next year, a decision which surprised many due to the difficulty of overtaking at the track.

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