The Monaco Formula 1 Grand Prix will be reduced to a three-day affair next season. The race weekend that usually began on Thursday, will kick off on Friday and go on till Sunday.
Since the first official championship in 1950, the Monaco Grand Prix, one of the iconic races in the calendar , has been an event that lasts for four days. The typical practice sessions are held on Thursday, making Friday a free-day for festivities in line with the Christian holiday of Ascension Day. The qualifying and main race take place on Saturday and Sunday respectively.
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F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali, in an exclusive chat with CNN Sport, said that Monaco GP’s schedule for the 2022 calendar will be shortened to the conventional three day format.
“Monaco will be in three days, straight away. So Friday, Saturday and Sunday instead of Thursday, hold, and then Saturday and Sunday. That’s the change we’re going to introduce next year,” Domenicali said.
Monaco’s party on Friday and then the narrow street racing Sunday makes it one of the most prestigious in the competition’s history. This year Belgian-Dutch driver Max Verstappen, who represents Red Bull, won the Monaco GP, Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and McLaren’s Lando Norris coming second and third respectively.
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Ascension Day, a bank holiday, is the 40th day of Easter. It occurs 39 days after Easter Sunday. It is a Christian holiday that commemorates Jesus Christ’s ascension into heaven, according to Christian belief. Ascension Day marks the 40th day after Jesus Christ’s resurrection, according to Christian belief.
Richard Micoud, the Communications and Media Manager of the Automobile Club de Monaco (ACM), organizers of the Monaco GP, talking to CNN, said, “It [Monaco GP 2022] will be a 3-day event for F1 and a 4-day event for ACM. The Thursday will be dedicate [sic] to support races. Our organization is actually working on the 4-day timing who will be available soon on our website.”
Domenicali was made the F1 CEO ahead of the current season. He said that the plan was to have 23 races in 2022. He did confirm France as a host but did not confirm reports suggesting South Africa is to return to the schedule
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“We received interest from Kyalami to be back in the calendar,” Domenicali said.
“Of course, we have discussed with them in order to see if they are ready from the technical perspective, the financial perspective, to be inserted in the calendar, so discussions are there.
“We have received other requests from other countries in Africa … in this moment, I need to keep it confidential,” Domenicali added.
After a major colliding incident at Monza, Italian GP, Max Verstappen holds a five point lead over seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton. The 20 drivers head to the Russian Grand Prix in Sochi this weekend.
“You know what is beautiful because you don’t feel the pressure that I’m sure that both Lewis and Max have a feeling behind the visor and also Toto [Wolff] and Christian [Horner], when they’re acting as team principal,” Domenicali said.
“The situation that happened in Monza was related to the fact that both were in a position where if everything was perfectly done, it was not there. So everyone is pushed up to the limit. It would be interesting to see, hopefully, up to the last race.
