It’s not just straight-line mode that will be banned in Monaco: thanks to modified engine mapping, top speed in the principality will be curtailed
Monaco is one of the most iconic events on the calendar—a timeless challenge spanning more than 70 years of racing history and welcoming a completely revamped Formula 1 this season.
While the drivers remain firmly at the center of the spectacle, the new technical regulations introduce key elements that will have a significant impact on safety and the teams’ approach to setup.
The first key point is that the FIA will not permit the use of active aerodynamics on any section of the entire lap. For the first time this season, drivers will therefore not be able to deploy their wings in either qualifying or the race—not even on the start-finish straight, where it was still permitted last year.
This is a deliberate decision based on a series of criteria aimed at minimizing the risks associated with activation.
Generally speaking, the FIA defines activation zones only on sections of the track where the car is not operating at the grip limit. In other words: these are points where the tires are not subjected to maximum lateral or traction loads, such as in the middle of a corner or at the corner exit.
The goal is to ensure conditions under which the wings can be safely deployed without compromising the car’s stability—even at the end of a stint on worn tires.
However, two additional criteria come into play, starting with the minimum duration of the activation zone, which must be more than three seconds. This requirement prevents extremely short activations that would merely increase the driver’s workload without offering any noticeable advantage in terms of performance or fuel efficiency.
Last year in Monaco, drivers used DRS to keep the rear wing open for just over five seconds on the start-finish straight, reaching speeds of around 290 km/h. Now, however, the 350-kW MGU-K delivers a significantly greater power boost during the acceleration phase, allowing the cars to accelerate to high speeds more quickly.
Since deploying the wing offers no real advantage and given the risk of approaching the braking zone for Turn 1 too quickly—where an uneven track surface requires maximum downforce to prevent the front tires from locking up—the FIA has decided to deactivate straight-line mode.
Special mapping reduces top speed
However, this is not the only safety measure being introduced. Given the potential of the current power units with such a powerful electric motor, some Grands Prix, including the one in Monaco, will receive a specific engine mapping called “Rev1,” which sets an alternative limit for the MGU-K’s power curve.
This intervention has two combined objectives: to prevent excessively high top speeds in areas such as the start-finish straight, the tunnel section, and the climb toward the Casino, where drivers reached around 290 km/h last year, while simultaneously reducing approach speeds before critical corners like Sainte Devote, where the run-off area is narrow and the risk of ending up in the guardrails is high.
In Monaco, the maximum power output will not be reduced and remains at 350 kW, but the derating phase will be modified. At other Grands Prix, the electric motor can deliver 350 kW in standard mode up to a speed of 290 km/h before gradually reducing the available power—to 250 kW at 310 km/h and to 0 kW at 345 km/h, unless the teams opt for earlier clipping to conserve energy.
In Monte Carlo, however, the cars deliver the 350 kW only up to a speed of 200 km/h before entering the derating phase: at 270 km/h, the MGU-K’s power drops to around 100 kW, and at 300 km/h, its output falls to zero.
Overtake mode also adjusted
This is purely a safety measure and not a result of energy issues, partly because Monaco is not a demanding track for energy management thanks to the numerous braking zones that allow for efficient battery charging.
As a result, the Overtake Mode has also been revised, though based on a different principle. At other Grands Prix, Overtake Mode allows the 350 kW to be maintained longer than in the standard mapping—namely up to 335 km/h—before power drops to 0 kW at 355 km/h.
In Monaco, however, the MGU-K continues to cut off maximum power at 200 km/h, just as in the standard Rev1 mapping, but the derating curve is less steep.
In practice, this means: While the standard mapping provides about 150 kW from the electric motor at 260 km/h, the overtaking mode delivers nearly 100 kW more.
The teams have obviously known about this for a long time: The FIA provides them with all technical specifications, including the permitted zones for active aerodynamics, at least four weeks before the event so that the teams can prepare for the weekend through simulations at the factory.
