Lost traditions: How Monaco GP has fallen in line with F1 calendar

It’s long been described as the jewel in Formula 1‘s crown but, in the modern era, the Monaco Grand Prix has had to make space for other glittering gems in the calendar.

The latest example can be seen this year, where the race has been dislodged from its traditional May slot — which once saw drivers attempt to compete in Monte Carlo and the Indy 500 on successive weekends — and moved to early June.

The race once held enough weight to maintain a series of quirky traditions, from Thursday practice sessions, to unique sponsorship and broadcast arrangements but these have gradually been eroded by F1’s desire to make other events — particularly in the US — feel like Super Bowls every other Sunday.

To many long-time F1 fans, however, the principality remains near the top of the list as the most charismatic and historic grand prix weekend.

Here are some of the most significant traditions that have changed over the years.

The four-day grand prix weekend

For decades, Monaco was unique on the F1 calendar for its four-day race weekend, with practice sessions held on Thursday followed by Friday as a day off for F1 teams and drivers.

The tradition originated because the race weekend historically coincided with Ascension Day, a Christian festival and public holiday in Monaco that falls on the Thursday or Friday of the race week.

The break allowed for media events, sponsor activities, and parties in the harbour.

However, as F1’s calendar got busier with more races, the tradition was dropped for the 2022 season, with Monaco falling in line with the other events on the schedule.

That means the Monaco GP weekend is now a three-day event from Friday to Sunday.

Race date change

The Monaco GP was traditionally held in late May, often coinciding with the Ascension Day holiday, which influenced the original Thursday practice tradition, as mentioned above.

This year, that tradition is officially over, as the race moves to a June date, breaking with the past in an attempt to improve the logistics of the series.

The calendar shuffle opened the door for the Canadian Grand Prix to be held earlier, in May, following the Miami Grand Prix, so that equipment could remain in North America from one round to the next.

The move does mean that Monaco no longer clashes with the Indianapolis 500, making the new date more fan and multi-discipline-driver friendly.

Broadcaster change

The television coverage of the Monaco GP was produced by the local station Tele Monte Carlo (TMC), which was unique among Formula 1 races, until the 2022 season.

For 2023, F1 itself took over the production of the broadcast, putting an end to decades of control by the local broadcaster, again moving the principality in line with the rest of the events that form up the calendar.

The Monaco GP broadcasts had been criticised regularly in recent years for missing key moments or lacking some of the production quality seen at other events.

Title sponsor

As Monaco tried to preserve a sense of tradition and exclusivity, the grand prix was one of the few that never had a title sponsor over the years, despite having been part of the calendar since 1950.

That’s another thing that changed last year when the race had Tag Heuer as its sponsor. The luxury watch brand returned to F1 last year as its official timekeeper, replacing Rolex.

In 2026, the race has Tag Heuer’s sister brand Louis Vuitton as its title sponsor: both are part of the LVMH group which has aten-year, $1.5bn partnership with F1.

Rule changes

As f1 cars have grown larger and faster and the track no wider, Monaco has increasingly come under the microscope for its processional races and safety fears.

Last year, F1 attempted to resolve the former by making two pitstops mandatory, but it was widely seen as disastrous, as teams tactically slowed rivals to game the system.

This year, safety reasons are behind a decision to deactivate the active aerodynamics that open the front and rear wings in ‘straight mode’ at other tracks, reducing downforce and increasing top speed.

On the twisting Monte Carlo circuit, the mode would only be active for short stretches, adding to driver workload for little benefit, but potentially raising speeds dangerously at corner entries.