"Monaco has to embrace the new realities", says Mercedes boss Toto Wolff

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff does not want to see the Monaco GP dropped from the F1 calendar but also admitted the race needs to adapt to modern times for its own good.

The race in the Principality has been a perennial fixture on the F1 calendar for decades. 2020 was the only season it was omitted, owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. The venue's contract to host races beyond 2022 is ambiguous while the organizers clash with F1.

Speaking in an interview quoted by the PA news agency, the Mercedes boss weighed in on the dispute between the Automobile Club de Monaco and the sport's controlling authorities. Wolff said:

“I am biased because I live here, I love the city, and what Monaco has to offer is spectacular. Formula 1 is important for Monaco, and Monaco is important for Formula 1. But it needs a positive approach from both parties. Monaco has to embrace the new realities of what Formula 1 stands for and the impact it has on the world. Monaco will always be respected within the Formula 1 community as something that is special and if we didn’t race in Monaco, that would be a shame from my perspective as a team owner. But nobody should take anything for granted.”

Monaco is no longer seen as the irreplaceable glittering jewel in F1's crown as it once was, with many other new exotic venues on the calendar and the prospect of even more expansion in the seasons to come.

Issues also persist regarding TV production at the race, something F1 does not have control over. Liberty Media is not a fan of Monaco's ability to dictate advertising around the track either. The Circuit de Monaco isn't conducive to racing with modern F1 cars as well.

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"Chances of crashing are massive" - Mercedes driver on the dangers of racing in Monaco with modern F1 cars

Before the 2022 F1 Monaco GP, Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton highlighted the possible dangers of racing in the Principality with the new 2022 F1 cars.

Speaking in a preview video posted by Mercedes on their social media channels, the seven-time world champion said:

“Our cars are bigger than ever before, wider than ever before, and the track is the same width that it has been forever. And we’re faster than ever. The percentage chance of overtaking is minuscule; the percentage chances of crashing are massive. Qualifying position is everything.”

With the track built on public roads and around pre-existing architecture in a country where space is sparse, the chances of implementing changes to the track to make it more accommodating for present-day cars seem slim at best.

The president of the Automobile Club de Monaco, Michael Boeri, however, is adamant that the race will remain on the calendar.