No need for panic changes at Monaco as 26 Regs may provide answer already.

[John S]

Instead of track changes or mucking about with prescriptive lap intervals on mandatory 2 stops Jon Noble, of The-race.com, reckons new Regs for 26 by themselves offer an answer, or can certainly be honed to much improve Monaco race.     

Sure Hope he's right. 
I've always thought DRS at Monaco was so inadequate as to be pointless.

F1 may not need to push for track changes to open up overtaking though, because the new 2026 regulations actually offer it a potential way to sort the problem.

We know that part of the issue at Monaco is that DRS is pretty ineffective. It cannot be used through the tunnel for safety reasons, and the start-finish straight does not really offer enough distance to gain momentum on the car ahead before Sainte Devote.

But DRS is gone next year, and overtaking will have a completely different mechanism – as its shifts from an aerodynamic overtaking aid to an engine power one.

With wings now being moveable simply for straights and corners, F1's overtaking will be helped by an engine override mode which delivers more power to a pursuing driver over a set distance.

While the car ahead's power will ramp down at a defined rate from the maximum allowance of 350kW at the start of the straights, drivers behind who get their override mode activated will have the full energy available up until a speed of 340km/h (211mph).

This should be a fairly standard arrangement for most of the calendar but there is scope within the regulations for the power differences between normal mode and override mode to be tweaked for individual circuits.

The rulebook allows the FIA, as long as it gives four weeks' notice, to alter the maximum electric power output when override is not activated, and also when it is.

So the door is therefore open to have Monaco-specific regulations that perhaps limit more the power of cars without override active, and give those behind an extra boost compared to normal.

And let's not forget that because there are plenty of heavy braking zones around Monaco, there should be no shortage of energy able to be harvested.

Considering that the new override could be activated from the entry of the tunnel as there is none of the aero safety issue that prevents there being a DRS zone there, if the maths is done correctly in terms of the power offset between the two drivers, then it could offer a pretty decent sniff of an overtaking opportunity on the way out and down to the Nouvelle Chicane.

This will also be helped by the fact that the cars are going to be slightly narrower and, because they carry less downforce, are also not going to be as good at stopping so the braking distances are going to be longer.

This tunnel opportunity (and override could even be enough for start/finish straight moves or to get a nose inside at Rascasse) would prevent drivers from trying to act as a roadblock to those ahead and encourage them to get a move on – negating the kind of manipulation tricks that we witnessed last weekend.

If any driver knows that backing people up behind them will lead to them coming under proper attack out the tunnel, into Rascasse, or Sainte Devote, then they will not want to be sitting there on a leisurely cruise.

Extracts from a longer piece Courtesy Jon Noble, The-race.com, Tues 27th May

[lkjohnson1950]

There is concern among teams that the drivers may spend much of the race coasting because the hybrid/ICE ratio is to be 50/50 and the batteries are too small and the ERS is only on the rear axle. Probably an exaggeration, but one engineer said they might coast from the end of the Kemel straight all the way to the bus stop at Spa.

 

[John S]

That may happen, however if things look bad after few races what's the betting the balance of 50/50 will be changed.

Won't happen at Monaco though, Jon Noble explains with so many heavy braking areas regen is not an issue there. 

[Alianora La Canta]

DRS failed after 15 years, I don't see how another similar overtaking gimmick even more openly dependent on short-term FIA manipulation is going to help matters (unless the FIA's preferred candidate is poor at qualifying).

[Dare]

Maybe allowing each car to drop one oil slick once each
race would spice up the races

[lkjohnson1950]

 

[Jericoke]

Maybe allowing each car to drop one oil slick once each
race would spice up the races

There's one popular racing series that lets drivers throw turtle shells and banana peels at the competition, and use mushrooms for a speed boost.

[cosworth151]

Maybe allowing each car to drop one oil slick once each
race would spice up the races

If that happens I know who RBR's new designer will be:

[Dare]

Maybe allowing each car to drop one oil slick once each
race would spice up the races

There's one popular racing series that lets drivers throw turtle shells and banana peels at the competition, and use mushrooms for a speed boost.

How about a figure eight turn instead of chicanes

[Andy B]

Ali used the right term!
Gimmicks.
Why does F1 need gimmicks I believe with the budget cap the teams should be given more scope to develop the car within that cap.
Oh and V10's. LOL

[lkjohnson1950]

If they would straighten the chicane, which looks possible, maybe you could pass at Tabac.

[rmassart]

There's one popular racing series that lets drivers throw turtle shells and banana peels at the competition, and use mushrooms for a speed boost.

Apparently Lando Norris has been practicing for this eventuality!