Stars rev up for glitz and glamour of Monaco GP but Miami and Las Vegas are a real threat to its status as F1’s No1

THE Monaco Grand Prix.. it’s always been the big one.

The glitz and glamour, the celebrities, the sun-kissed marina and cars racing round the ultra-narrow street circuit, passing iconic landmarks like the Monte Carlo casino.

As a venue and as a race, Monaco is unparalleled.

Or should that be “was”..?

For decades the Monte Carlo showpiece has been the crown jewel of the Formula One calendar.

Famous tracks like Silverstone, Monza and Albert Park have always drawn the crowds and F1 always sees the celebrities flock en masse.

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Above all else, though, Monaco was THE race to be seen it.

It will forever hold a place in racers’ hearts too, with Lewis Hamilton speaking of his love for the iconic circuit just days before the 2022 race.

But even the way the seven-time world champion spoke about it suggested he knew something special was coming to an end.

Perhaps it was his career, with Mercedes struggling to match Red Bull and Ferrari in this brave new era of F1.

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Or perhaps he, like many of us, realise Monaco just doesn’t quite have that X-factor any more.

In decades past, it was the jewel in the crown that was the F1 calendar.

But with the Miami GP attracting the world’s top celebs and sports stars earlier this month – and the promise of an exhilarating Las Vegas street circuit in 2023 – Monte Carlo risks becoming just another race.

Or worse yet, it could drop off the F1 calendar altogether.

At this month’s Miami GP, for example, sporting royalty including David Beckham, Michael Jordan and Tom Brady were caught rubbing shoulders with Hamilton, as Serena Williams also made her way down the paddock.

Pharrell Williams, Michelle Obama, Gabrielle Union, DJ Khaled, Ashton Kutcher… the A-list went on and on.

Monaco is arguably a victim of its own success. It’s played a huge role in attracting fans to the sport.

But as F1 enjoys an unprecedented boom – in no small part down to Netflix’s hit series Drive To Survive – Monte Carlo is just not big enough to host such an event.

Not only that, with the American market growing at an incredible rate, the new era of fans are itching for exciting overtakes, thrills and spills.

All too often, the Monaco GP serves up a drab affair with qualifying essentially determining the final race position with precious few overtaking opportunities around the street circuit.

Monaco is still on the F1 calendar and there’s no concrete suggestion it won’t be in future years.

But it may be losing some of it’s shine, some of its previously unmatched appeal.

Celebs will always flock to the ultra-wealthy French Riviera and Monaco is still a “place to be seen”.

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And this year will be no different as fans and famous folk alike flock to the track to watch Hamilton, Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc and Co scrap it out.

But for a track already seemingly running off fumes and living off nostalgia, it would take something special for it to remain F1’s No1.

Source: Motorsport - thesun.co.uk