Formula 1 confirms Monaco GP switch to 3-day weekend

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The Monaco Grand Prix will scrap its traditional Thursday running next year and switch to a three-day format has announced F1 boss Stefano Domenicali.

F1's glitzy showcase event in the Principality has historically always kicked off on Thursday, a schedule initiated when the race was first held over the Ascension Day weekend which included a Bank holiday Friday.

For practical reasons, Formula 1 opted to maintain over the decades Monaco's traditional timetable, with Friday remaining an action-free day to allow shops and local businesses to operate normally, and residents to move around Monte-Carlo freely.

But as the sport devises its 2022 calendar, Monaco will come in line with F1's classic weekend format, a move that is believed to also facilitate logistics with the Spanish Grand Prix earmarked to take place the weekend before Monaco.

"Monaco will be in three days, straightaway," Domenicali said in an interview with CNN.

"So, Friday, Saturday and Sunday instead of Thursday, a hole, then Saturday and Sunday. Yes, that is the change we’re going to introduce next year."

Domenicali also confirmed that F1 is targeting a 23-race schedule in 2022, while the Italian revealed that the French Grand Prix would once again figure on next year's calendar.

"The plan is that we’re going to have 23 races," Domenicali said.

"We’re going to announce the calendar at the World Council, on the 15 October. The idea is to finish earlier than what we finished this year."

Read also: Domenicali teases early details of 2022 calendar

F1 hopes to conclude its 2022 season before December, while Grand Prix racing's chief executive is optimistic on the chances of F1 expanding next year its novel sprint race concept.

"It’s a plus because first of all, we are giving to the people something new every day, to the media, to the people who are coming to the track," Domenicali said.

"To the interest and the preparation for the teams, from our perspective, the more unpredictable are the races, the better they are."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.