Mercedes boss Toto Wolff says Formula 1 must have an open mind when it comes to the Monaco Grand Prix layout, believing changes are needed to increase overtaking opportunities.
Monaco’s street circuit has largely unchanged since it first hosted an F1 world championship event in the series’ inaugural season back in 1950, but has come under fire for its lack of on-track action as cars have got bigger.
Wolff’s point that changes should be considered comes after Lewis Hamilton spent the majority of this year’s race stuck behind Alpine’s Fernando Alonso.
After a red flag stoppage, Hamilton spent over 30 laps on Alonso’s gearbox, frustrated by the Spaniard’s slow pace that allowed the cars ahead to open up a 30-second gap.
Alonso revealed he had backed off in order to save his tyres before saying Hamilton’s inability to find a way past was not his problem. The two-time world champion finished a season-best seventh, with Hamilton following his former team-mate home in P8.
“You can see that another lesson is that track position is everything in Monaco,” Wolff said, as quoted by Motorsport.com. “Five seconds is like an F2 car but yeah, I think we need to look.
“This is such a spectacle here, such a fantastic venue and always amazing to be here, but we need to maybe look at the layout, where we can basically do a lap five seconds slower and you still can’t overtake.”
The lack of evolution to Monaco’s track layout is not the event’s only issue, with its position on the F1 calendar threatened by new venues amid Liberty Media’s global expansion.
The Principality’s current contract expires this year and speculation grew over the grand prix weekend that a new deal may not be agreed.
Wolff is hopeful a solution can be found to secure Monaco’s future, even if he admits alternations to the circuit may be “wishful thinking”.
“I think there’s a commercial debate to be held but both parties clearly will find a compromise because we need Monaco and Monaco needs Formula 1,” Wolff said.
“With the track layout, maybe it’s wishful thinking. I wouldn’t know where else we can drive than around these roads, and the tunnel is already fast, but I don’t know what can be done.
“Maybe we can just get rid of the chicane [after] the tunnel and make it a long straight. And then Tabac, I don’t know… Tabac would be too fast. Maybe [add] some braking there but this is here the track designer speaking who has no clue…”
