The 2024 edition of the Monaco GP produced yet another uneventful race. Although there was some excitement for the race due to the opening lap incident that resulted in a red flag, the intrigue quickly dwindled down. As a result of the same, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff did something during the race he had not done in 12 years.
“I got a yogurt and an espresso in between. I’ve never done that in the last twelve years,” said the Austrian as quoted by news outlet Oe24.
Wolff was not the only individual who labeled the race boring though. Several drivers also made similar admissions. One of them was reigning champion Max Verstappen. The Dutchman said (as quoted by ESPN), “F— me, this is so boring“.
There was indeed hardly any action during the course of the entire race as, for the first time in the event’s history, the top 10 crossed the chequered flag in the same position they began the Grand Prix in. The race was even boring for the frontrunners like Lando Norris, who admitted that he “almost fell asleep” despite fighting Carlos Sainz for the final podium spot.
Although the race was boring for most, the Monaco GP will remain on the calendar at least until 2025. Since the race is all set to remain for at least another campaign, Verstappen and George Russell provided a possible solution to make the race more interesting for the future.
Verstappen and Russell suggest a solution for the Monaco GP organizers
Max Verstappen ran behind George Russell throughout the entire race in sixth place. The only burst of excitement during their battle came when the Dutchman pitted for fresher tries. However, despite being much faster, the reigning champion had no space to pass.
So, during his post-race interview, he couldn’t help but joke about the monotonous race. Verstappen said, “I think George and I, we’re going to go for a run now because we didn’t really have any exercise.”
However, later in the conversation, the two casually bounced off ideas that could add excitement to the famed race. For example, Russell suggested mandatory pitstops.
Meanwhile, Verstappen added, “Like five or something”. Soon after, Russell also suggested the need to introduce mandatory refueling. These are the two viable solutions that came out of the conversation.
Soon after that, they went back to joking about taking naps and driving with one foot. However, this dull nature of Monaco is becoming a serious problem for F1’s organizers. So, if this continues and the circuit continues to attract criticism, its future might be in serious jeopardy.
