(Motorsport-Total.com) – One of the innovations for the 2026 Formula 1 season will not be used in Monaco: Active aerodynamics will not be a topic at the upcoming race in the Principality, as there will be no straightline mode on the streets of Monte Carlo. This means: The wings will not be flattened on the straights.
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The FIA made this decision with a clear focus on safety. Given the available runoff areas, there was a risk that the cars would become too fast at the exit of the tunnel. Therefore, there will be no zones for the straightline mode and the race will be run with fixed wing profiles.
Monte Carlo thus becomes a unique event that teams must prepare for very specifically. The event between manhole covers and curbs will be a great opportunity for anyone who wants to throw a wrench in the previously unbeatable Mercedes team’s plans.
Can Ferrari annoy Mercedes?
On paper, Monaco should be a hunting ground for Ferrari: The SF-26 suffers from a power deficit in the upper rev range of the power unit, but is considered by all to be the best car in terms of chassis and aerodynamics in medium-speed and slow corners.
Here, the Principality can become a weapon for Scuderia’s revenge – on a track where sheer engine power is certainly not the decisive element for performance and the aerodynamic efficiency, which was obsessively sought in the first five races of the year, gives way to the search for maximum downforce.
Formula 1 teams with at least five wins at the start of the season
Downforce will again become a distinguishing feature of cars that were actually designed to offer as little air resistance as possible. In short: We will experience a paradigm shift that could bring surprises. Mercedes has so far demonstrated an almost embarrassing superiority over the competition.
Kimi Antonelli and George Russell have shared all previous wins between them, and the new update package introduced on the W17 in Montreal was precisely aimed at more vertical downforce. Therefore, Mercedes must be counted among the absolute top favorites, even though Ferrari will take on the role of challenger – with a car that seems made for the street circuit in the Principality.
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McLaren, which has the car with the shortest wheelbase in the entire field, can also have justified hopes in the Monaco roulette. We all know that success here comes through a perfect qualifying lap, as overtaking in the race is practically impossible as long as the car ahead does not make a mistake.
Are there special Monaco updates?
It will be exciting to see who invests special resources in Monaco. Since it makes no sense to mount rear wings like Ferrari’s “Macarena” wing or Red Bull’s – is there anyone bringing a tailor-made solution specifically for Monte Carlo?
McLaren, for example, will choose the combination of elements in their portfolio that generates the most downforce. However, the team in Woking says they were not willing to spend additional budget under the cost cap just to challenge the dominance of the Silver Arrows.
The engineers around Rob Marshall will try to erase the disappointment from Canada with an MCL40 that should feel comfortable in the Principality anyway.
And Ferrari? Team principal Frederic Vasseur has promised a second major update for the Spanish Grand Prix, which takes place only one week after the race in Monaco. It is therefore hardly conceivable that anything will be brought forward for Charles Leclerc’s home race.
However, it is by no means excluded that we will see special solutions on other cars to pull off a big coup in Monte Carlo.
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