F1 News: Pierre Gasly Doesn’t Want To Lose Monaco As A Race – “The Most Iconic Race In The World”
With F1 races being capped to 24 a year and with new Grand Prix venues coming more onboard like Qatar and Las Vegas, there has been competition among the circuits to save their spots on the F1 calendar.
F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has been quite open in his statement that classic circuits can’t solely rely on their past glories but they need to earn their spots on the F1 calendar. The statement has however sparked concerns about Monaco that could be under threat, especially since it differs from F1 on a business model in terms of rights, hosting fee, and its television production.
The Monaco Grand Prix has been a part of the F1 calendar for 67 out of the 73 world championship seasons since it began in 1950. Together with IndyCar’s Indianapolis 500 and the Le Mans 24 Hours sportscar race, it also forms motorsport’s unofficial Triple Crown.
French driver Pierre Gasly has voiced his opinion. He said that it would be difficult for him to accept Monaco being dropped out of the F1 calendar as it has been an intrinsic part of the sport’s history and even pre-dates it with it first staging a race in 1929.
The AlphaTauri driver said: “That would be a bit of a shocker if Monaco gets taken out of the calendar, It’s probably the most iconic race in the world.
“Talking to non-F1 fans, everyone had heard about Monaco for various reasons, whether it’s racing, whether it’s party-related, whether it’s all of the action that happens around the grand prix. It’s a very iconic weekend.
“I think, and I really hope, we get to experience it as drivers because it’s probably the toughest track of the season, the most challenging, and is my favourite one.”
Gasly stresses that along with Monaco, a number of other historic venues like Spa-Francorchamps are important and they should be ever-present on the F1 calendar.
“Obviously to me, I have a very special attachment to these races,” said Gasly.
“My home race (France), and Monaco kind of feels like a home race, then Spa is the closest race from my home town, so I usually have a lot of support there.
“I think they are very iconic tracks, especially Spa and Monaco, they are my two favourite tracks. I think they are part of the history and DNA of Formula 1 and they should be on the calendar every year.
“We know F1 nowadays, there are a lot of things involved in how to plan the whole season, so we’ll see what happens. But personally, I really hope we can keep them over the next few years.”
After this year’s race at Monaco, its contract with F1 expires. However, the Automobile Club de Monaco’s president, Michel Boeri has assured that the grand prix will continue taking place in Monaco even beyond 2022.
“I’d like to refer to what has been read in the press, where it is said that we may struggle to keep organising grand prix races beyond the 2022 event, so as early as next year,” Boeri said at an event with the marshals ahead of next month’s race, according to La Gazette de Monaco.
“It was implied that the fees required by Liberty (Media) were too excessive for Monaco and the Grand Prix would no longer be held. That’s untrue. We are still in talks with them and must now seal the deal with a contract.
“I can guarantee you that the grand prix will keep taking place beyond 2022. I don’t know if it will be a three- or five-year contract, but that’s a detail.”
We think that Monaco Grand Prix is truly a legendary event as it is the perfect amalgamation of street and track in the same place and it should remain on the calendar.
