Monaco GP to become three-day weekend from 2022
Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has confirmed the Monaco Grand Prix will switch to a three-day weekend format from the 2022 season.
Monaco has traditionally run its race weekend over four days, with the opening two practice sessions being held on Thursday before Friday is used as a rest day for the F1 paddock.
This schedule has been followed for many years as a way to help traffic flow through the streets and assist businesses prepare for the weekend.
F1 is currently in the process of planning next year’s calendar, and Monaco is poised to be run as a back-to-back with the Spanish Grand Prix.
Due to the addition of the inaugural Miami Grand Prix, which is set to be held in May, switching Monaco to a traditional three-day weekend will ease logistical pressures.
“Monaco will be in three days, straightaway,” 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.”
Domenicali also confirmed F1’s intention to stage a 23-race calendar in 2022 that had been the initial plan for this year only for the ongoing pandemic to force it to drop to 22 rounds.
As for scheduling, Domenicali insists the French Grand Prix would remain on the calendar, and is planning to end the season at an earlier date than 2021.
“The plan is that we’re going to have 23 races,” Domenicali said.
“We’re going to announce the calendar at the World Council, on the 15 October. The idea is to finish earlier than what we finished this year.”
F1 introduced a new format in the form of sprint qualifying at three events this year, and after two trials at Silverstone and Monza could become a permanent fixture next year.
Domenicali remained positive about the impact sprint races were having on F1 this year, believing its addition has only added to the spectacle.
“It’s a plus because first of all, we are giving to the people something new every day, to the media, to the people who are coming to the track,” Domenicali said.
“To the interest and the preparation for the teams, from our perspective, the more unpredictable are the races, the better they are.”