Ralf Schumacher explains why we shouldn’t expect a spectacular overtaking show in Monaco in 2026 either – though safety car periods could provide some excitement
The Formula 1 race in Monaco is usually decided as early as Saturday. Because overtaking on the narrow street circuit is nearly impossible these days, pole position in the principality is considered half the battle. In 2025, for example, the top four finished in exactly the same order in which they started.
Although Formula 1 cars have gotten slightly smaller by 2026, expert Ralf Schumacher emphasizes in Sky’s “Backstage Boxengasse” podcast: “The cars are smaller, but that won’t be enough, because the cars were already that small back in my day.”
“And yet we could barely overtake,” he recalls, adding: “We were able to overtake here and there, but you just have to be significantly faster [than the other car], or there have to be driving errors, and the other driver has to play along.”
The 2025 Monaco race was “a disaster” due to tactical games, according to Schumacher, who emphasizes: “I doubt it, but I hope we see a bit more action and that we don’t see so much tactics again this year.”
In 2025, all drivers were required to make two mandatory pit stops, which led to the field being deliberately slowed down at several points. Although the rule was abolished again for this year’s Grand Prix, it is unlikely to change much.
Audi driver Gabriel Bortoleto also fears that overtaking will remain “difficult.” Monaco is not a so-called low-energy track, explains the Brazilian. Therefore, one shouldn’t assume that the new engine regulations will suddenly create more overtaking opportunities this year.
“Hopefully it will be a slightly more entertaining race than last year,” Bortoleto says, “but we know that we have big cars these days and, unfortunately, it’s not easy to overtake. So I don’t expect any major differences from the past. But I hope I’m wrong.”
According to Schumacher, safety car periods could at least provide some excitement in 2026, “if not red flags with the cars we have this year,” says the expert, who explains: “The error rate this year is a bit higher for everyone [with the new cars].”
And because in Monaco, a car hitting the wall almost always results in at least one safety car, that could provide some variety in a race that, apart from that, is likely to be the usual procession again in 2026.
