F1 extends agreement with Monaco Grand Prix through 2031, with a calendar twist

Critics of the Monaco Grand Prix might be slightly frustrated this Friday morning.

Formula 1 announced a six-year extension to the existing agreement with the Automobile Club of Monaco (ACM), that will keep the Monaco Grand Prix on the F1 schedule through the 2031 campaign.

The Monaco Grand Prix is the crown jewel of the F1 calendar, an event that combines the sport’s rich history with some of the most stunning — and glamorous — images the season has to offer. Contested on the streets of Monte Carlo, the Monaco Grand Prix sees drivers wind through the Principality along the banks of the French Riviera, tackling some of the most historic track sections in the sport’s history. That includes the slowest corner on the schedule — the tight Fairmont Hairpin — and the fast tunnel section.

However, the tight and narrow Monte Carlo streets have not made for thrilling racing, particularly in recent years. That has placed a massive emphasis on Saturday’s qualifying session, which goes a long way toward determining who wins the main event on Sunday.

This year’s race was no exception, and perhaps an extreme example of this phenomenon. The 2024 Monaco Grand Prix was notable as one of Monaco’s own, Charles Leclerc, finally tasted victory in his home race after years of heartbreak. However, an opening lap crash involving three drivers (Sergio Pérez, Kevin Magnussen, and Nico Hülkenberg) brought out the red flag, allowing drivers to pit and make their mandatory change of tire compounds.

As a result, the race resumed and the pace was much slower, as drivers managed their tires over the ensuing 78 laps. Finishing in second behind Leclerc was McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, who talked exclusively with SB Nation in the days after that race about how tough passing is on the Monte Carlo streets.

“It’s incredibly tough [to overtake in Monaco]. I think for me the difficult thing is that whilst I was right behind Charles for a lot of the race, it wasn’t because he was slow,” started Piastri. “It was because he was deciding to go slow, right.”

“So it’s not like somewhere else where they have clear strengths and weaknesses and you can kind of set them up [for an overtake]. Like for him, if he wanted to go faster, he could have, literally depending on what he wanted to do with his right foot,” added the McLaren driver. “So that also made it tough.”

Piastri admitted he made one attempt at passing Leclerc but reviewing the race afterward, he conceded it would have been difficult to make the overtake stick.

“I tried once into Turn Eight to try and get by. But, yeah, I watched it back and to be honest, I was even further back than I thought. So it definitely wouldn’t have worked. But yeah, that is just the nature of Monaco, I guess.”

And while some may have found the lack of overtaking frustrating watching the race on Sunday, Piastri admits that as the laps were winding down, he was rather glad to be on the tight Monte Carlo streets.

“To be honest, for the last 10 laps of the race, I was pretty happy we were racing Monaco [because] my tires were struggling a bit,” added Piastri. But yeah, it’s just the nature of the beast around there.”

F1 President and CEO Stefano Domenicali noted he was “delighted” that the Monaco Grand Prix was staying on the grid through 2031.

“I’m delighted that Formula 1 will continue to race in Monaco until 2031. The streets of Monte Carlo are unique and a famous part of Formula 1, and the Monaco Grand Prix remains a race that all drivers dream of

winning. I would like to extend a special thanks to H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco, Michel Boeri, President of the Automobile Club of Monaco and everyone involved in the extension of this important partnership.”

Domenicali also noted that following next season, the Monaco Grand Prix’s place on the schedule will be altered. For years the race has taken place at the end of May over Memorial Day Weekend in the United States, setting up an incredible tripleheader when combined with the Indianapolis 500 and NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600.

However, F1’s push towards sustainability will see the Monaco Grand Prix shift to the first full weekend in June.

“This agreement signals a new era of partnership and innovation between Formula 1 and Monaco. It is the future focused leadership of H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco which will allow us to create an optimised calendar, which reduces pressure on logistics, and to decrease the environmental impact of our global Championship, as we continue the path towards our Net Zero goal by 2030.”

That shift might see many fans — and perhaps a sportswriter or two — try and attend both the Indianapolis 500 and the Monaco Grand Prix starting in 2026.

And perhaps even a driver.

For example, Fernando Alonso has driven in both the 500 and the Monaco Grand Prix, and is the only active driver who has won two of the three legs of motorsports “triple crown,” which consists of the Monaco Grand Prix, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and the Indianapolis 500. Having won in both Monaco and Le Mans, a win in Indianapolis would see Alonso complete that feat, becoming just the second driver in history — along with Graham Hill — to pull off that accomplishment.

2026 might just give him the chance.