Apparently its going to be a 3 day event for the first time, they're finally putting an end to the day off on Friday.
Posted 10 September 2021 - 07:24
Apparently its going to be a 3 day event for the first time, they're finally putting an end to the day off on Friday.
Posted 10 September 2021 - 08:18
Posted 10 September 2021 - 08:31
Side note - Be interesting to see how next years car changes the racing but because of the size of the cars I imagine it'll still be pass by error only... Maybe a sprint race would introduce something more in terms of putting the pressure on drivers but then again the lead driver can always just dictate the pace
Posted 10 September 2021 - 08:34
Posted 10 September 2021 - 08:36
The other key thing of note is that Monaco will finally switch to being a three-day race meeting, rather than having an extra day. This means that the weekend before Monaco can host the Spanish GP and everyone can be in Monaco in time, including building the daft motorhomes that are barely being used these days… given the COVID restrictions.
Posted 10 September 2021 - 08:48
Posted 10 September 2021 - 13:51
Joe Saward getting it wrong? In other news the sky is blue.
Bollo, he's done me again.
Posted 10 September 2021 - 15:22
Well it hasn't been announced yet, which doesn't mean its wrong.
Posted 22 September 2021 - 16:12
“Monaco will be in three days, straightaway,” F1 boss Domenicali said in an interview with CNN.
“So [it will be] Friday, Saturday and Sunday instead of Thursday, a hole, then Saturday and Sunday. Yes, that is the change we’re going to introduce next year.”
https://www.motorspo...m-2022/6672608/
Posted 22 September 2021 - 16:15
Told yer.
Posted 22 September 2021 - 17:18
Posted 22 September 2021 - 17:30
This was all about Whitsun (Pentecoste) wasn't it? But they moved away from that date long ago, so there was never a reason to stick to the old arrangement apart from inertia. And if they are changing this, maybe they can start paying their way like all the other tracks.
Posted 22 September 2021 - 18:55
F1 to shrink Monaco GP to three-day race weekend from 2022
https://www.motorspo...m-2022/6672608/
"The tradition dated back to the race’s original scheduling on a bank holiday weekend, but was maintained to allow traffic to flow through the area and assists businesses in preparing for the weekend."
I wasn't aware of that, but it's true: Between 1950 and 2001 (with the exception of 1957) the Monaco Grand Prix Thursday was Ascension Day. But the race was never held that week in the pre-World Championship years (and I don't know on which days practice sessions were run back then).
Posted 22 September 2021 - 22:57
Posted 23 September 2021 - 01:20
Personally I think it's a bit of a shame, as it made it something a bit different. Mechanics also had a bit of a timeout to have some fun
Monaco doesn't seem like a fun place for a mechanic's wages.
I would argue the mechanics enjoy the extra day back home, on a very busy calendar, that is growing longer and longer each year.
Edited by ARTGP, 23 September 2021 - 01:21.
Posted 23 September 2021 - 02:40
I don't have any major issues with it. It just makes it a tiny bit more realistic to bother to take a trip to watch the whole weekend.
However, Liberty talked about making every event feel like Super Bowl, and have since talked about making it special, not all race weekends have to be the same with the introduction of Sprint Qualification and so on. But the one unique weekend that very few actually dislike, the one event that is a bit different, but liked, that is the one they are changing to be just like any other weekend.
Posted 23 September 2021 - 07:28
I feel like the specialty of having Thursday practice (and qualifying back in the day) wore off when the race ended to be permanently on the Ascension week.
Posted 23 September 2021 - 10:44
Maybe they can introduce sprint qualifying at Monaco too.
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Posted 23 September 2021 - 10:46
Maybe they can introduce sprint qualifying at Monaco too.
Or they go the other way arround! In Monaco we then have a qualfying and the race in the form of an even longer qualifying!
Posted 23 September 2021 - 11:43
Monaco doesn't seem like a fun place for a mechanic's wages.
I would argue the mechanics enjoy the extra day back home, on a very busy calendar, that is growing longer and longer each year.
Depends if the ball rolls on black or red (or green...)
Posted 23 September 2021 - 11:48
It's on Joe Saward's blog:
https://joesaward.wordpress.com/
Posted 23 September 2021 - 11:56
Posted 23 September 2021 - 13:10
Not exactly a huge change though. I'm not sure Monaco is universally liked, but it's not like the whole format is changing. I've never felt like there was something special about the weekend because they had FP on Thursday rather than Friday.I don't have any major issues with it. It just makes it a tiny bit more realistic to bother to take a trip to watch the whole weekend.
However, Liberty talked about making every event feel like Super Bowl, and have since talked about making it special, not all race weekends have to be the same with the introduction of Sprint Qualification and so on. But the one unique weekend that very few actually dislike, the one event that is a bit different, but liked, that is the one they are changing to be just like any other weekend.
Posted 23 September 2021 - 16:52
Posted 23 September 2021 - 16:59
This was all about Whitsun (Pentecoste) wasn't it? But they moved away from that date long ago, so there was never a reason to stick to the old arrangement apart from inertia. And if they are changing this, maybe they can start paying their way like all the other tracks.
I thought the Friday gap related to the idea that the residents of Monaco (that is, the normal human ones) could not be expected to go from Thursday to the following Monday without having access to local shops for food and other essentials.
Posted 23 September 2021 - 17:10
I get that a change to 3-day is better for them planning, but its a shame that a quirk has to be dropped. It is after all only one race out of 23...
And if some tracks (ie. Imola) want to have a 2-day event then why not.
Posted 23 September 2021 - 17:26
Good - never liked having to wait a pointless extra day to see quali.
Posted 23 September 2021 - 17:51
Good - never liked having to wait a pointless extra day to see quali.
You realize quali is still on the same day but now with you being bored out of your head on thursday with some boring press conferences and no fp to talk about for a whole day longer?
Posted 23 September 2021 - 18:56
Thinking back to '74.
Thursday practice day , you could go/walk anywhere , no tickets required - although we were on a Page & Moy. Stayed in a hotel next to the train station in Nice . We watched the practice session from ste Devote , then from the hill at Rascasse - below the Pink Palace
On Friday we walked all the way to the paddock - beyond Mirabeau - Portier , no gate control or entry fees - still got my Monaco cap signed by Ken Tyrell ( Jody and Patrick was having a nap on their bus/mobile truck ) Pam was relaxing with Ken under the awning
Had a meal at a small , typical family eatery near the Monaco station , set menu , including home brew beers Fr8.50
On Race day - tickets needed - we stood on the uphill after Ste Devote - all the drivers were walking/ strolling past on the track, from the paddock to the pits - Graham Hill got the most cheers .
Rostrum ceremony we watched from the track/ finishing line , amongst the mechanics and cars, right in front of the Prince and Princess - Ronnie Peterson won, Jody 2nd
The world has changed ...
Edited by Lotusse7en, 23 September 2021 - 19:00.
Posted 23 September 2021 - 18:59
Make it two days. No practice, just Qualy & Race.
Posted 24 September 2021 - 05:43
breaking traditions. good, slowly showing it's pretty insignificant to hold a parade there.
Posted 24 September 2021 - 06:29
I thought the Friday gap related to the idea that the residents of Monaco (that is, the normal human ones) could not be expected to go from Thursday to the following Monday without having access to local shops for food and other essentials.
Posted 24 September 2021 - 09:15
Nope, i can confirm you can get most of your local shopping during the week-end.
In fact you can do your shopping in between sessions in Monaco.
Okay. This article offers a range of explanations:
Free practice in Monaco traditionally takes place on Thursday, a departure from the usual F1 race weekend format. Why is it that cars don't drive through the streets of Monte Carlo on Friday?
To find out why, we have to go all the way back to the year 1929. That year, the race was held the same week as the Feast of the Ascension, with drivers taking to the track on Thursday. As a result Friday was viewed as a mandatory day of rest. While for many years the F1 race happened the same week as the religious holiday, that is no longer a given.
Now, organisers cite various reasons as to why F1 cars aren't on the streets on Friday including supplying the hospitality industry along with a rest day for Monte Carlo residents. However the rest day no longer applies to everyone, as F2 drivers race through the streets of the principality on Friday.
The biggest reason why F1 sticks to the old format is for commercial reasons. Monte Carlo becomes the centre of the F1 universe as the harbour is filled with luxurious boats, the hospitality industry flourishes, and everyone who has a say from a business point of view settles there. Granted, things will be different in 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic, but the tradition remains.
https://racingnews365.com/why-f1-doesnt-race-on-friday-in-monaco
Posted 24 September 2021 - 09:41
To find out why, we have to go all the way back to the year 1929. That year, the race was held the same week as the Feast of the Ascension, with drivers taking to the track on Thursday.
https://racingnews365.com/why-f1-doesnt-race-on-friday-in-monaco
The 1929 Monaco Grand Prix was held on 14 April. According to various online calendars, Ascension Day was on 9 May. But:
Between 1950 and 2001 (with the exception of 1957) the Monaco Grand Prix Thursday was Ascension Day. But the race was never held that week in the pre-World Championship years (and I don't know on which days practice sessions were run back then).
Posted 24 September 2021 - 09:43
Okay. This article offers a range of explanations:
Free practice in Monaco traditionally takes place on Thursday, a departure from the usual F1 race weekend format. Why is it that cars don't drive through the streets of Monte Carlo on Friday?
To find out why, we have to go all the way back to the year 1929. That year, the race was held the same week as the Feast of the Ascension, with drivers taking to the track on Thursday. As a result Friday was viewed as a mandatory day of rest. While for many years the F1 race happened the same week as the religious holiday, that is no longer a given.
Now, organisers cite various reasons as to why F1 cars aren't on the streets on Friday including supplying the hospitality industry along with a rest day for Monte Carlo residents. However the rest day no longer applies to everyone, as F2 drivers race through the streets of the principality on Friday.
The biggest reason why F1 sticks to the old format is for commercial reasons. Monte Carlo becomes the centre of the F1 universe as the harbour is filled with luxurious boats, the hospitality industry flourishes, and everyone who has a say from a business point of view settles there. Granted, things will be different in 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic, but the tradition remains.
https://racingnews365.com/why-f1-doesnt-race-on-friday-in-monaco
The answer to every question in F1 is always money.