Poll: Official 2024 Monaco Grand Prix Race Thread - Circuit de Monaco - Race 8/24

[t2na]

I still believe they need to remove the hybrid stuff and allow refuelling again.

Removing the motors and battery will save a LOT of weight, complexity, cost, and size. Leave Formula E to advance that technology.
The refuelling will allow for smaller fuel tanks (again smaller and lighter cars), more pit stops, and strategies that will actually make a difference to a race.

And yes: The race was rubbish as usual

I'm not sure refuelling solves the issue we saw yesterday though, I remember watching races in the 90s and 2000s where everyone is running their own race with their own fuel plan and you get very few overtakes on track for position - and no one really knows who's leading the race until the end. And usually Schumacher won.

Definitely agree that smaller & lighter cars helps address it - but really this whole race was ridiculous from the moment Pirelli gave their tyre allocation.

One of the best races from the last few years was Qatar '22 when there were mandatory pit stops and the drivers were doing qualifying laps every single lap. It's either a case of making a tyre that means drivers don't have to 'preserve the rubber' so they just go hell for leather - or making the tyres so soft that it's quicker to go rapid and pit for fresh tyres than it is to trundle around 10s per lap slower.

I prefer watching Formula-E for actual racing

Do you really? Or is this a 'devils advocate' sort of thing? I've never once finished a Formula E race and thought it was entertaining, it's like watching a duracell bunny advert.

 

[Journey]

Do you really? Or is this a 'devils advocate' sort of thing? I've never once finished a Formula E race and thought it was entertaining, it's like watching a duracell bunny advert.

Yes, because I like the fact the drivers are racing basically the same vehicle, and there is mainly driver skill and tactics involved. I also actually like electric powertrains in a vehicle, and enjoy the new challenges being faced with battery chemistry/energy density/weight for the teams and development of the future seasons, I've spent over 35 years watching F1 and feel the enjoyment is slowly coming to a close for me, maybe the 2026 rules will change that again.

 

[t2na]

Yes, because I like the fact the drivers are racing basically the same vehicle, and there is mainly driver skill and tactics involved. I also actually like electric powertrains in a vehicle, and enjoy the new challenges being faced with battery chemistry/energy density/weight for the teams and development of the future seasons, I've spent over 35 years watching F1 and feel the enjoyment is slowly coming to a close for me, maybe the 2026 rules will change that again.

Yeah - fair enough. I guess it is one of those horses for courses things!

I think the same vehicle thing/spec series is what I don't enjoy - and partly why I enjoy watching races like Bathurst or Kyalami for GT3 endurance where balance of performance is really well done that you have cars with different characteristics excelling at different parts of a track.

I'll get back on topic though... This years Monaco GP was total dog water.

 

[Alibaba99]

F1 is far from the pinnacle of anything, especially racing. If offers the best of no worlds in reality, the technology is only useful in F1 for the most part, and the regulations and make up rules have ruined the sporting aspect for a while now. I prefer watching Formula-E for actual racing, and a technology lead approach that will directly impact the road cars of the future.

So what is your 'pinnacle of motorsport' then?

 

[iamdjdz]

On a side-note, I caught the end of the Indy 500 last night and, is it just me, or was it just as boring as the Monaco GP?

Everyone going on about what an amazing race it was - err, excuse me? Cars just endlessly drafting each other and swapping places for 500 miles, yeah riveting.

And the typical American "the greatest motor race in the world" crap at the end. Err no, that's Le Mans.

Indy oval racing is a different kettle of fish though - they're all going over 200mph throughout apart from pitstops for example. The strategy is different, eg, you don't want to be in clean air as you have no one to draft, fuelling is required and if you're on a similar strategy to 15 others then pit stops are chaos. The constant position swapping is needed to keep or gain places through the field and if you do it right you could go from 20th to first on similar strategies as others who aren't as cunning. There isn't quite the same enjoyment of every overtake in the same way as maybe someone overtaking round the outside of Eau Rouge but it's all about the combination, taking advantage of track situations and overall speed. Totally understand why people wouldn't enjoy it but it was a great oval race compared to some.

 

[413x]

Width isn't the only factor that matters:

Thats what she said!

 

[413x]

In its current format.. Scrap it. But realistically too much wealth and fame there for that.



If it can't go, just change the format to qualifying.

Why not have a session where the fasted time gets max points and so on in the current gp points format. Bin it and you get nothing.
There would be cars in the wall all over the place though.

I personally don't really see why drivers value a win here so highly. Especially now.

 

[413x]

Unfortunately to make the cars smaller and lighter would require getting rid of most, if not all, of the technology, be it the hybrid or the aerodynamics, that is f1 today and makes the cars over 50% efficient. Plus the drivers safety cell and the halo adds to their weight as well.
Do we seriously wish F1 to be just a F2 car with slightly better aerodynamics and no longer the pinnacle of Motorsports?

Personally I don't really care about the pinnacle of motorsport in terms of tech.

I'd rather just see great racing. Unfortunately other formula don't have the mass market of f1. Which is 70 percent of my interest. Chatting about it.

Touring cars is more fun to watch. Even paint drying is sometimes

 

[Emlyn_Dewar]

I was trying to think if I've ever watched a race where cars were so deliberately off the pace. I don't think so.
Threading the needle, and pure concentration, are things the TV folks will say but that couldn't be farther from the truth.

When everyone is intentionally driving so far off the pace, then it's beyond farcical.
Magnussen, Hulkenberg and Perez will secretly be filled with joy that they were smashed out of the race on lap 1. It means they didn't need to take part.

I personally don't really see why drivers value a win here so highly. Especially now.

It used to be difficult, when they actually drove fast.

 

[JRS]

Widening the bodywork on the car obviously would create more drag, shortening the wheelbase will mean less room for all the hybrid technology.

Why would they have to remove the hybrid gear? They'd just have to package it differently, instead of stretching it all out in a line to make the car into a dart.

So yeah. Let's get real. The cars are too long and too heavy to race effectively at all the tracks on the calendar. You either throw away the tracks, or you throw away these car construction regulations. I reckon I know which one will cost the sport less...

 

[koolpc]

If Monaco got taken off of the F1 calendar all the snobs would go mental and start crying that they cant show off their wealth!!

 

[ShivP]

If Monaco got taken off of the F1 calendar all the snobs would go mental and start crying that they cant show off their wealth!!

There is Abu Dhabi, Miami etc for all that

 

[t2na]

If Monaco got taken off of the F1 calendar all the snobs would go mental and start crying that they cant show off their wealth!!

They can just wheel their boats to the marina at the Miami GP instead.

 

[JRS]

Oh yeah, absolutely. Let's definitely throw away a Grand Prix that predates the World Championship. Tradition and heritage don't matter at all, what we want is another Tilkdrome somewhere with nice long DRS zones to give us wildly artificial overtakes that disguise the huge, structural problems with the car construction rules.

'Woo'.

 

[cuke2u]

Oh yeah, absolutely. Let's definitely throw away a Grand Prix that predates the World Championship. Tradition and heritage don't matter at all, what we want is another Tilkdrome somewhere with nice long DRS zones to give us wildly artificial overtakes that disguise the huge, structural problems with the car construction rules.

'Woo'.

Well said that person!!

 

[cuke2u]

Why would they have to remove the hybrid gear? They'd just have to package it differently, instead of stretching it all out in a line to make the car into a dart.

So yeah. Let's get real. The cars are too long and too heavy to race effectively at all the tracks on the calendar. You either throw away the tracks, or you throw away these car construction regulations. I reckon I know which one will cost the sport less...

Yes let's get real for once. It ain't going to happen..

 

[SoliD]

Oh yeah, absolutely. Let's definitely throw away a Grand Prix that predates the World Championship. Tradition and heritage don't matter at all, what we want is another Tilkdrome somewhere with nice long DRS zones to give us wildly artificial overtakes that disguise the huge, structural problems with the car construction rules.

'Woo'.

Tbh wouldn't mind going back to some of his earlier circuits with the influx of rubbish in the last 5 years.

 

[GravyMonster]

Absolutely. Malaysia is a great circuit.

 

[JRS]

Tbh wouldn't mind going back to some of his earlier circuits with the influx of rubbish in the last 5 years.

Absolutely. Malaysia is a great circuit.

Yeah, Sepang would be good if they could get some kind of crowd to actually attend it. Singapore basically took their audience.

 

[koolpc]

Monaco is as exciting as a lettuce sandwich!

Something needs to change.