Monaco GP: Monte Carlo Preview

 Monaco is back: the slowest, tightest, most glamorous pressure test in Formula 1.
 We look ahead to the strategy, qualifying stakes and street-circuit chaos.

Transcript

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Box now, box, number, box, box, box. Welcome to Boxbox Box, your friendly neighborhood for me one podcast. My name is Gosh. I'm joined today with Mohan. How are you, Mohan? I'm great, thank you. And it's uh lovely talking to you as we move into this quite large European block. Uh the uh which we're actually and we've already recorded a C episode about the calendar coming up, but in that we actually discussed the fact that uh this is kind of the spine of the whole season, the European block, and it's good to be starting it. Yeah, absolutely. And uh we're recording this at an earlier time than usual. So if anyone uh is listening to this and thinks that we sound quite groggy, uh that would be the reason. Yeah, I think. I'm only working off one coffee, by the way. Still still trying to get through mine. So um look, Monaco coming up, and this uh the greatest procession in uh F1 racing, at least these days. Are you looking forward to this? Uh I am looking forward to it for I guess what what part of me is this and part of me isn't, I guess. But the part that's looking forward to, I guess, is is the spectacle of Monaco and obviously the history of this particular track, and it's something we can never look past. And it's the kind of race that you know has a has a certain romance about it, and will also never hopefully never ever be removed from the calendar for that very reason. The part of me that is isn't looking forward to is that it's not the greatest racing track, I must admit. That it can, as you mentioned before, it can actually be quite a procession, uh, to the extent that qualifying on Saturday becomes almost way more important than the race itself. Yeah, and and I think the uh well that was all everything you just said there was exactly what I was gonna ask you. Because the dialogue after this race is no doubt going to be why is this even on the calendar? And the traditionalist romance type fans of this I, you know, I kind of feel like they're dying out. Every year it seems to be louder as to why this this track is still on the calendar. Uh and for me, I think the same thing. I think just just just out of tradition itself. And you know, it's not like there's it's not like there's not a competitive element to this. Like i if that is on qualifying day, then so be it. But of course the fastest the fastest driver's the one that stands on the podium at the end of it, isn't it? Isn't that right? That's basically what what it comes down to and it's it's what they can actually put together. It it did it does allow for um no, there have been certain collisions in past previous years and safety cars that have had to come out that have decided the race and not through qualifying, mind you. Uh which is uh to some extent is what fans want to see as well. Uh and not just I actually had the expression sent to me a couple of years ago. This is the kind of race that could have been emailed to me, basically. So uh that's got time that can actually become out of steps. I think this is like definitely a track of survival as well. You've got to be skilled enough to be able to get around Monaco without having an issue. Like that's that's all part of it. Yeah, it's uh it's do you think I suppose uh I'll just I'll just put the put the question to you now. Do you think this new formula is going to change how the race in Monaco unfolds? Do you think there there might be overtakes or are the cars still too big to really be able to move around? Uh it's interesting because this so far, with every track that we have seen, they've been uniquely different and have tested different aspects of uh the new regulation. And this is one more to the mix that we we will it'd be interesting to see how the new regulations fit into this particular particular circuit um and and whether they actually d it presents genuine opportunities for overtaking. The problem is space. It's not the ability or uh the the want of the drivers to actually want to overtake, it's the fact of how narrow the circuit is, how close the walls are, whether there actually is genuine opportunity for overtakes as such. Yeah, and usually you need somebody to make a mistake into say the swimming pool section. And even then, when you have had people that overtake, I don't know, the last 15 years, it usually involves a collision just because of the space. So uh it's yeah. The other part also is the fact of, I mean, we've talked about superclipping previously, uh and it can actually present quite a dangerous aspect to this particular track because yeah, you you've got drivers that closing speed becomes an even more critical issue. And I know FIA has made some changes uh to allow for that and to adjust for that. But whether that actually works, uh whether those adjustments are good enough for Monaco, for a track like Monaco, we'd be interesting to see because that closing speed can present a massive issue here. Aaron Powell Yeah, and those those issues that they sorted out. The original format uh and those speed differences that we've seen early on probably would have made it the uh a situation where you could overtake cars uh on the the small straights that they have at Monaco. But yeah, with extreme danger, I would have thought as well. So but anyway, let's jump straight into it. So so after Montreal, uh, which team do you think arrives in Monaco with the most momentum? Uh for me, Mercedes-Benz certainly arrived with the most amount of momentum uh after a very strong Montreal weekend, obviously led by Kimi's win in the main race and George's win in the sprint. Uh, even with Russell retiring from the main race, uh, the team have actually shown that they have genuine speed. Uh, they're very confident in the abilities of their cars and their drivers. Uh, and their execution of their strategy is actually, I think, the benchmark for all the other teams to be aiming for. Uh, Ferrari as a team do also carry a fair bit of momentum into this weekend, especially given Lewis's result in uh in Montreal. And also, for that matter, Charles' strong positioning as well in the main race. So um, let's hope McLaren can actually get uh the act together and and not mess up their strategy because it they do have a genuine car and obviously two genuine drivers that can challenge Mercedes, particularly given uh Lando's Monaco pedigree and uh whether they can actually put in a strong less a stronger showing than they did in Canada. And uh the wild card here is definitely Max. Anything's possible if he's given a half-decent car, uh how he can drag that around the track on the day. I was gonna ask that. Do you think Red Bull's having a sort of resurgence themselves? It seemed to be in the last couple of races, actually, because they seem to have it's it's it's for me, those last couple of weekends have been a very typically Red Bull kind of weekend where the car that's on the track on a Sunday is a very different car that's on the track on a Friday, basically. And they seem to get their act together over a weekend very well, better than any other team I've seen, that they make such significant adjustments and are able to be reactive to what is actually happening. Uh to particularly for Max and in and actually in Canada, they show that Hajar as well. They were able to give them a very competitive car. Yeah, is this something different uh for Red Bull than we've seen in the last couple of years? Because it because Hajar was in and around as well? Uh yeah, actually. And and and the the biggest thing for them is the the the struggle they've had in the preceding two years is that any points have come through Max's performance. And that second car has struggled a lot. Uh that's something different that we're seeing this year, that that now both cars are able to they're not at the top of the podium by any means, but they're certainly able to deliver consistent points throughout the weekend. Uh I I do wonder how much, you know, Max is also delivering these performances being checked out, because uh that kind of seems, you know, that like the season's not there for him and uh he's lost a lot of interest in F1, it seems. Doesn't like the formula, etc. So uh it's yeah, it it'd be interesting to see uh kind of you know the the max of last year and and how much he could uh eke out of this car. But anyway, uh is is Monaco still the ultimate qualifying track, or uh can the new 2026 cars make Sunday more open? Kind of discussed this already, but what are your thoughts? Um I think it's definitely the the the ultimate qualifying track, and man, qualifying as I mentioned before, does make uh more of a difference sometimes than race day itself. Uh even with the 2026 cars and the new aerodynamic rules, the circuit obviously still remains very narrow, slow and unforgiving, and extremely difficult for overtaking. So um that I think the track layout actually matters more than the generation of cars that have been presented for this year. Um the absence of the new straight mode overtaking it at Monaco only reinforces that uh Saturday will likely decide Sunday, particularly if drivers like Leclerc and Tonelli Russell and Norris and Vostappen for that matter, uh somehow can manage to put their car on pole position. They will that actually translates to having immediate control on race day, uh obviously barring any safety cars or red red flag intervention. It's interesting how narrow the track is. And the I think one of the problems with the whole situation is that the traditionalists that want this track to be around forever are also going to be the same people that don't want to make any modifications if they could be made, because they want to preserve uh the history of the whole thing. So uh it's a yeah, it's probably two different schools of thought, right? Aaron Ross Powell And from an infrastructure point of view, is I mean you've seen that track, there is really no room to go anywhere. That is they would have to knock down quite a few heritage-listed buildings, probably, to actually do that, uh which is never going to happen. I think we've discussed this last year. There uh I've seen a pretty wild internet-based plan, I think, where you you could actually extend the track and almost double the size up into like a a whole different area. Uh and it just it would allow a lot of overtaking opportunities in those those new areas in theory. So maybe something we can unpack afterwards if uh we don't have anything to talk about, um, which is still is still uh definitely possible. Yeah, Max said we do we look forward to uh as I said, because it's we have really no idea how these new regulations are going to play out on a circuit like this. And this is this is uh a first, I guess we'll be seeing. So I'm very curious to see how this plays out. Aaron Powell Yeah, and and uh we shouldn't forget either that Formula E has had some serious success at Monaco. And you know, very different cars and everything, but uh yeah, very, very different type of race. So you know the the possibility is definitely there. Um especially with the the whole like you know, the the the instant talk thing was a big thing for Formula E. And it would make a big difference in in a track so tight like this. So yeah, very be interesting to see what happens. So how much will track position matter, you know, if overtaking remains almost impossible, say? Uh this is the kind of track where track position is is is absolutely critical because being out in clean air actually offers the drivers or the teams a lot of protection, particularly if they're actually able to lead after turn one. Uh this allows the driver to sort of manage their pace, manage the tires, and manage the actual race rhythm without needing to overextend the cars themselves. So a faster car stuck behind another driver can lose that advantage very, very quickly. So that as a result puts huge pressure on qualifying for uh the top teams in particular. And a front row for a team like Ferrari would actually give them a real shot uh at winning that race. So, but on the flip side of it, either uh Kimi or Russell being on pole would actually translate to just them this controlling the race from the start. And which driver do you think is under the most pressure to deliver on the streets of Monte Carlo? Would it uh I suppose traditionally it would be Charles, wouldn't it? Uh absolutely. Uh I I I believe he comes into this race under the most pressure, and not purely because it's a home race for him as well. I think his result in Montreal was well commendable. Um, I think we also we mentioned this that he would have left Montreal thinking that he's he's he's effectively left something or a potential podium on the track as such. So that actually adds even more pressure for him coming into this race. And where he currently sits, he's close enough in the championship from a points point of view. And as a result, a big result could actually shift the momentum quite significantly for him. So compound that with the additional emotional weight that this track carries for him year in, year out. I think he comes into this with the most amount of pressure. The other drivers, I think, that sort of come in with a certain amount of pressure are Hamilton and Verstappen, but for for very different reasons. Uh I think Lewis comes in after a very strong result in Montreal and would want to maintain that momentum going through this race and the remainder of the European block in particular. So, and Verstappen actually and the team need to prove that they can actually still fight at the top end of the grid, with uh despite actually having an uncharacteristic, uncharacteristically less dominant start that they've had for this year. And yeah, I mean George Russell's under a lot of pressure as well, just situationally, right? Absolutely. And and this is unfortunately for him what happened in in Montreal. Uh we I I believe we would be having a very different conversation if he was able to last the distance of that race and what that would have translated to a podium, because I think he's obviously he was upset and all that, and quite understandably upset. But it was through no fault of his own that that result actually ended up being that way. So I I I don't believe he's as much under pressure about to deliver, but he would be feeling the pressure from the other side of the garage given the results that Kimi has had. And and speaking of drivers being under pressure, uh, you know, we talk a lot about the top of the grid, towards the bottom. Is there anyone here that's potentially gonna lose their seat just already? Yeah, I think it's it's interesting to actually see because the the racing bulls and those sorts of teams actually I think it's more the midfield teams that kind of need to be concerned about what's happening. Particularly the the teams coming in new this year, Audi and and Cadillac, I think they are just on a building phase. The the drivers actually with uh with Alpine, Williams, and those kinds of teams are the ones that will be feeling the most amount of pressure about keeping their seats. Uh whereas I think the top teams are reasonably settled. However, there is a lot of discussion about uh whether Verstappen will stay with Red Bull and the exit clause that he currently has in his contract come mid mid-season. The discussion about how unhappy or happy Oscar is at McLaren. So there's a lot of moving parts in all of this. Um, and I think the mid-year negotiations are going to be even more interesting this year. Yeah, we often see musical chairs and uh in silly season, and I'm sure it will happen again. And you I think you're right, too. Those, you know, those new teams are developing. The everyone's got a lot of grace there for uh at least at least the first two seasons, I'd say. So or maybe not so much with um but Audi, but definitely with Catlak. Uh so we'll see how that goes. Could Monaco expose weaknesses in uh you know the low speed traction, the you know, the ride quality and driver confidence with these new cars? I think this is one of the best circuits for exposing those weaknesses because most cars actually need a a lot of strong low speed traction and very good sort of ride quality over the bumps and curbs, and essentially a front end that the drivers can actually be trust quite a bit. So I think for a team like Red Bull, this is actually quite would be quite revealing because they certainly have not been the dominant force that they have been in the previous years. What a team like Mercedes, despite their dominance, they need to actually show that their overall pace that they have at the moment does translate to a slower circuit like Monaco and the demands that a circuit like that actually brings in. But you've also got to factor in Ferrari and McLaren in there because those it's a confidence, the confidence issue for them as well, the fact that if they can build that momentum quite early and maintain that confidence, uh, I see them figuring on a podium come Sunday. Now, one of the solutions to make Monaco a more exciting Grand Prix is the mandatory two-stop. Uh so will the mandatory two-stop rule create genuine strat uh strategic drama or will it just be more controlled chaos? Uh so the key correction is that the mandatory two-stop rule was, as we know, it was used in 2025, but has been scrapped this year. So, and I think quite right, correctly so as well for this kind of circuit. So it won't be dictated by this forced two-stop as such, but sort of reverts back to what would have been a conventional monoco strategy uh that has that has existed in in previous years, which is built more around sort of timing, track position, and taking advantage of any disruptions that actually comes up uh during the race. And and overall, I think that two-stop thing in 2025 felt very, very artificial. And because the teams could actually manipulate their pace to to to fit in with those pit windows. And I'm glad, kind of glad that that that is that artificial part of that's been taken away. Uh, and so with the drama this year, I guess uh I expect it to come more from sort of undercuts or overcuts uh that the teams would manage and potential safety cars and red flags that actually could dictate the final outcome. So, and particularly if any cars actually get trapped in traffic after after having made a pit stop. So I think all of those factors would play into the final result. Yep, glad you corrected that. Uh I I actually wasn't sure if they were using it or not. So uh anyway, there we go. So tell me, how big a role will the safety cars, red flags, and pit timing play in deciding this race? Uh on this circuit in particular, they play a huge role. Uh particularly because overtaking is so difficult. So, and to the extent that safety class and and red flags and timing of the pit stops, it's actually becomes a key key way the teams actually manage the changes that happen as such. So a single crash or a badly timed pit stop can actually decide the podium on race day. So for anyone that's out front, the ideal race is to stay out front, keep it clean. But for anyone stuck behind, that chaos actually creates a lot of opportunity. And so you've got teams like Ferrari and McLaren and Red Bull for that matter, would actually want a little bit of disruption. Uh particularly if Mercedes get out front and stay out front. Uh, because I believe that disruption actually can give them a chance to genuinely challenge a team like Mercedes out the front. So is Charles McClare the sentimental favorite again, do you think? Or is this party going to be spoiled by the likes of McLaren, Mercedes, or even Max at Red Bull? Uh definitely the sentimental favorite and obviously the home driver. And I think it's it's the kind of race that has brought a particular amount of spotlight on him. And whether he appreciates it or not, uh, and whether that actually adds any more pressure is interesting to see. Uh if any chance he actually takes pole position, he's he's actually a very good chance to stay out front on the condition that Ferrari manage their strategy, which they haven't been great at doing all the time. So, you know, Mercedes are definitely the form team going into this. And if Monaco and if McLaren actually have got good results here in the past, uh, but if I had to pick an emotional pick, I guess Charles definitely would be that. But there is a lot more moving parts that he has to consider as part of this. There's surely no home field advantage for Charles here, right? There's no it's not like, you know, you you'll get British drivers that have grown up always driving at a silver stone. But this is not the case with this track. Like this uh other than pressure to perform and potentially being motivating, and and then that could be that could go the other way as well. But but yeah, there's there's nothing that's really helping him here, is there? It is in a sense, but it g it's uh I think it's a it's a confidence thing because uh I've seen interviews with him because obviously he said no, he grew up riding his bicycle around that track. And that would that would play a large part in his level of comfort on race day and in qualifying the fact of that that mystery or the concern of those narrow, uh the narrow circuit and the walls being close by. If he's if he's if in the back of he said, Oh no, I used to ride my bike around here, that must bring um uh a lot of confidence with it. And I think that's very different to growing up on a on a particular racetrack because you're not spending all your time there. Whereas he on a day-to-day basis is driving around these streets, you know what I mean? So that would definitely bring for him, he would come into it a lot more relaxed, hopefully. Yeah, you you could almost say it would be like 20 years of track walking experience, I suppose. Absolutely. Yeah, that yeah, that's interesting. Okay. Well, tell me, which rookie your younger driver um could make a statement on this very unforgiving surface uh circuit. Uh Kimi has to be the obvious choice here, the younger driver to actually watch given given the form that he's brought into it. As we know, he's leading the championship. But this is actually quite a very different kind of test. And it's a lot less about pace. It's more about precision, uh, confidence, and and not having much margin for error. And we have seen Kimi's minor lockups and things like that actually that have happened, and thankfully those things have not uh translated to him losing a race. But in a track like Monaco, any of those kinds of situations can be the difference between winning and losing. So it it it certainly comes in with a with a lot of that momentum within, but also with a fair bit of pressure uh to deliver on a circuit like this. Um if you look at the other rookies or the younger drivers, the ones that have obviously been performing and and bringing in uh points, uh Hajar, Lindblad, Colapito, and Biemen, those drivers are definitely worth watching. And it actually gives them um a chance to earn a lot of respect simply by driving a clean race and slowly building up through the weekend and and and capitalizing on any mistakes that the other drivers make during qualifying and on race day. All right, Mohan, who are your picks for uh poll and the podium on race day? Um, I would have to go with the sentimental. Favorite for Paul actually. I'm I'm picking Charles Leclerc to qualify first. And I think uh for all the reasons that I mentioned before, I think his Lee's level of comfort on this circuit and particularly handling the new regulations on this circuit, he would probably be coming into it with the most relaxed attitude of all the drivers on that grid. And I think if he starts on Paul, uh he has if the if his team manages the strategy well, he's got every opportunity to stay out there. So if I was to pick uh the podium, I'll actually go with your suggestion from last time and three different teams uh on the on the podium. Uh with uh Charles, Kimmy, and Norris in that order. And uh with Lewis as a dark horse, I guess, uh in in in in coming into it. Uh we cannot discount uh Verstefan in in all of this. Uh but if I had to pick three on the podium, it would be definitely Charles, Kimmy, and Lando. I think you'd be very brave, or anyone would be very brave to uh pick a different pole sitter to the actual winner of the Grand Prix. But I think Ferrari is going to have a uh stellar weekend. So my picks Charles, Lewis and Kimmy in that order. So interesting. It'll it's always exciting. It's something I always enjoy seeing on the calendar. Uh and certainly hope it never goes away because I mean the variety at the very least is is one thing. You know, it's there's a there's there's plenty of samesy tracks out there, and this has nothing like it really, other than I suppose um I always think of Jetta as uh monocomar steroids. So Yeah. Yeah. A final thoughts, Rohan? Um look if I sit for the the biggest thing I'm looking forward to is how the new regs translate to a track like this, because this is very unique and it's unlike any of the tracks we have seen so far this season. So I'm I'm very interested to see how uh this translates, how the drivers and the teams manage all the all the new technology and what what that actually means on Calm Race Day. Imagine if the the new regulations make this just a spectacular race, the the vindication would be next level. Uh all right, Mohan, do you want to share that on our socials? Uh our website is boxboxbox.net.a and our social handle is boxboxbox A US. We are on Instagram, Facebook, X, and TikTok. Uh please uh like and subscribe and send us your feedbacks, but also check out our spin-off podcast, which is F1 Decoded, where we try and break down the technical aspects of this sport we all love. And Racing Rewind, where we look at classic races and seasons, and we're currently exploring the 2003 season. Yeah, if you've smashed through this podcast, uh the episodes are embedded in it. But if you've just listening to the stuff currently, all that, all those episodes, those individual podcasts are collected in their own podcast as well. So if you don't want to scroll through the the insane amount of podcasts that we have just covering these last couple of seasons, you want to find the direct explainers and uh the direct historic races that we go over, those podcasts are definitely available. Uh so anything else, Mohan? Well, actually looking forward to it overall, and and I look forward to speaking to you on the other side of qualifying actually on Sunday while we wait for the main race. Absolutely. Thank you again, Mohan. Thank you for joining us, and we'll see you again next time. Thank you.