An interview with Mercedes F1 star George Russell from last year regarding the future of the Monaco Grand Prix has resurfaced ahead of the 2026 race.
The Monaco GP is one of the most iconic races on the F1 calendar, having made its debut in the sport back in 1950, the first ever F1 world championship season.
But in modern-day F1, the races have often become a little lacklustre, as the cars are too wide to be able to overtake each other on-track.
It means that qualifying is usually crucial for the result of the Monaco GP and, despite cars this year being smaller, narrower and lighter compared to in 2025, that’s expected to be the case again.
Now, ahead of this year’s event, comments from Russell last year suggesting that the race should be scrapped have resurfaced, with the Mercedes star suggesting that qualifying should determine the points that each driver takes away from the weekend.
“For all the drivers, qualifying is the most exhilarating moment of the weekend,” Russell told media. “Do we accept that? There should be no race, and it’s a qualifying race.”
The Monaco GP in its current form is set to remain on the calendar until 2035, after signing a contract extension last year.
Max Verstappen’s Monaco GP qualifying comments
Ahead of this year’s event, four-time world champion Max Verstappen suggested that qualifying was the highlight of his weekend in Monaco, and that his Red Bull team would be working hard to get the car in the optimum place for that session.
“I don’t know how the car is going to feel tomorrow,” Verstappen told media ahead of the Monaco GP weekend. “Monaco can give you some surprises but realistically, the car is okay at low-speed, but here you need to be good on the bumps and the kerbs and we are not.
“We want more grip, more power, the tyres to work in a better operating window – you want to be better everywhere. In Montreal we were lacking in the straight, and in the corners, the ride over the bumps, we were not the best.
“We will see. [Qualifying] is the highlight of the weekend, and where you need to perform.”
All the drivers know that their success this weekend will likely depend on their performance in qualifying.
