Horner says Monaco must ‘move with the times’ – urges overhaul

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has called for significant alterations to the Monaco Grand Prix circuit, insisting it’s the only meaningful way to improve overtaking opportunities at Formula 1’s most iconic but increasingly criticized venue.

The 2025 edition of the Monte Carlo race introduced a new mandatory two-stop rule in an attempt to prevent the tyre-change red flag ploys that plagued the previous year’s event.

While the rule tweak added a layer of strategic complexity, Horner believes it wasn’t enough to shake off the “procession” label that has come to define the event.

“I'd say it was an improvement,” Horner said after the race. “It was strategically more interesting, there was more jeopardy to it, you know, certainly better than what we saw last year, where there was just a procession.”

However, despite the added pit stop strategy intrigue, the race still failed to produce any meaningful change in the running order, especially at the front — with Lando Norris converting pole position into victory unchallenged.

“The race was pretty much done yesterday [in qualifying],” Horner observed. “And we’ve introduced another dynamic with the pit stop, which ultimately for… I guess for the top ten, other than the retirement, there’s nobody really changed position.”

“The Only Way” to Enable Overtaking

Frustrated by yet another follow-the-leader affair in Monaco, Horner doubled down on his call, and the call made by many others over the years, for structural changes to the track itself, stressing that even the best tyre rules won’t solve the fundamental problem – a layout that no longer suits modern F1 cars.

“I think it's the only way to really encourage any form of overtaking,” Horner said.

“I don't think I saw a single overtake in the race. So, trying to create a bit more braking area, either on the exit of the tunnel or, you know, Turn 1.

“If there was any way of creating a longer braking zone somewhere we should really investigate it.”

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He continued by acknowledging the clash between Monaco’s historic charm and the realities of 21st-century Formula 1, in which the cars have grown significantly larger.

“The cars are so big now that, you know, you just don't have a chance to get alongside,” he explained.

“Monaco Must Move with the Times”

Despite the circuit’s revered status, Horner emphasized that no part of the sport should be immune to evolution.

“I think everything has to move with the times, ultimately, doesn’t it? It’s an iconic, historic circuit,” he said.

“But, you know, if you look at how Monaco has changed, how much land they’ve reclaimed overseas in the 72 appearances here, I don’t think you would need to maybe do too much.”

Horner doesn’t believe a wholesale redesign is necessary, but rather a smart adjustment to introduce just one viable passing opportunity.

“It just needs to be one area that you can have an overtake. I mean, everybody knows they’re coming here.”

As pressure mounts to modernize Monaco while preserving its prestige, Horner’s comments may add weight to calls for rethinking how Formula 1’s most glamorous race can stay relevant – not just in spectacle, but in sport.

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