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From: Boston, Dallas, Detroit, SoCal, back to Boston MA
How the FIA is limiting F1 cars’ top speed at Monaco GP with new engine maps
Not only active aerodynamics will be disabled in Monaco, but new engine mapping will limit F1 cars’ top speed
The new generation cars over a certain speed accelerate much quicker than the last generation, and with the Monaco layout it seems that the cars will always have battery power available since the ability for regeneration is high, so I guess this reduction in electrical power production and the restriction on active aero is to try and ensure that there isn’t complete carnage on the circuit.
I think that overall speeds will remain the same as previous years. Guess we’ll see next week! 🤷🏻♂️
From: Chartres, with a cathedral of XII Century in the middle of the wheat fields FRANCE, la Belle et ses Iles
Monaco
The 6th Grand Prix, and here we are in one of the most beautiful settings, where luxury, indulgence, and jet-setters mingle—but also sarcasm, thanks to its legendary processions. Remember Zozo? We must recall Nelson Piquet’s famous words: “Monaco is like riding a bike in your living room!” Are today’s F1 cars still suited to this circuit, which is impossible to extend or modify?
The Track
You have to have driven through the streets of la Principauté at least once to get an idea of what awaits these drivers starting Friday: Sainte Dévote, where the F1s risk piling up, just like in the Beau Rivage turn, the very steep climb toward the Casino, the Fairmont turn (formerly Loews, formerly Epingle du Grand Hôtel) 45km/h max, the entrance to the Tunnel with the transition from daylight to artificial lighting and the exit with a massive braking maneuver and blinding sunlight, the Rascasse corner where the rail is close by, all on a bumpy track dotted with multiple manhole covers that send your suspension jarring against your back and ribs—enough to make you lose your dentures at the speed these men are tearing through!
It’s a track that rewards self-confidence and precision, but one that doesn’t hesitate to punish the slightest error or the tiniest lapse in concentration—just ask Senna, leading a GP, who let himself get distracted by Prost in P2, who was beating his lap records.
At 3,337 meters, the shortest track on the calendar is also the longest in terms of race duration.
Forces at work and stakes
Merco will undeniably be the team to beat with five consecutive wins, and Kimi A. will be under intense pressure from Russy, who must be starting to have doubts and who didn’t expect such high potential to materialize so quickly: a 43-point gap already! But the supremacy of the shining star above Stuttgart’s train station could fade a bit, as the dominance of its power unit won’t be an asset here: the energy balance is reversed—regenerative braking and the MGU-K will recover more energy than is needed to activate the various boost modes. Furthermore, MGU-K power will be limited above 200 km/h, and straight mode will be prohibited here. Between the deactivation of active aerodynamics and the track’s mechanical challenges, the red team will be in a better position.
And so Féfé could spring a surprise, as the SF-26’s smaller turbo could prove to be a real advantage for the Scuderia in the Principality; moreover, the SF-26 excels in slow corners and has excellent traction. McLaren will hope to demonstrate what it is capable of—without strategic errors or any other issues—by bringing a gearbox with slightly shorter gear ratios. This technical choice favors raw acceleration at low speeds, where time is gained between Sainte-Dévote and the Fairmont hairpin, as well as the testing of a new front wing during FP.
The Grande Canette could spring a surprise, as could the midfield teams, who may capitalize on the tight margins at the Monte Carlo circuit. But setting a fast lap in Monaco means tackling the kerbs, and that is precisely what RBR fears; they haven’t yet found a solution to conquer the kerb fortress—will they have found the answer in Milton Keynes? Max is starting to complain about his back.
There’s a duel between Kimi and Russy, but also between Ham and Leclerc, who considers this his home turf. Having been struck by bad luck here so often, he wants to take his revenge on Ham, who’s closed the gap to just 3 points. It seems he was very frustrated by Ham’s P2 finish in Montreal. In the meantime, today, he has re-signed for several years at Maranello and has no intention of leaving. Will he one day be rewarded with a WDC title at Féfé ?
There’s also a battle between Piastri and Nono! At Alpine, the fifth-strongest team on the grid, Colapinto seems to be gaining the upper hand over Gasly, who has been plagued by issues that Alpine hasn’t been able to resolve since the two Grand Prix races in the New World. This could mark the beginning of a shift in the internal dynamics of the top teams—excluding RBR, of course.
The tyres
An important development—one that the FIA has all but ignored—will be crucial this weekend: the rule requiring two mandatory pit stops in 2025 has been scrapped, as it didn’t bring anything new to the table.
Unsurprisingly, Pirelli will bring its softest compound range: C3, C4, and C5. Tyre degradation is minimal here, and graining is virtually nonexistent, even though some sections have recently been resurfaced—but this will have very little impact, as abrasion is negligible. The surprise may come from strategic uncertainty in the event of race incidents, such as Safety Car and red flag management; all of this could significantly affect—or even completely alter—the pole sitter’s race.
Weather
No need for concern or hope for the teams waiting for rain—good weather is guaranteed all weekend. The only thing to note is the wind, but if rain were to show up, the forecast indicates that it would only affect the Portier turn and the famous T6 Fairmont airpin.
Last edited by BKorsaire; Jun 3, 2026 at 02:24 PM.
From: Chartres, with a cathedral of XII Century in the middle of the wheat fields FRANCE, la Belle et ses Iles
In Monte Carlo, it’s the calm before the storm—but not in the minds of the engineers, who are impossible to rein in. We might have thought that the FIA’s ban on active aerodynamics here would be welcomed and simplify the teams’ work! Not at all! Quite the contrary: Mercedes and RBR engineers have gone all out, unveiling similar innovations this Thursday for this unique track in the absence of active aerodynamics; these winglets will allow for marginal performance gains. McLaren and Audi will also bring new innovations. Féfé unveiled an SF 26 that looks simple at first glance, but is that just to hide something? In any case, in F1, the constant pursuit of performance is the very essence of what drives engineers.
New Way is back at the circuits this weekend; he had disappeared, apparently due to a hospital stay.
Do you remember the “Butcher of Maracay”? That was Maldonado's nickname. Here's one of his exploits in Monaco in Worl Series by Renault—and he wasn't the only one. Another driver landed right next to the marshal on the ground, who had just done a nice flip ! He almost finished off the “Maldonator's” fine work.
From: Chartres, with a cathedral of XII Century in the middle of the wheat fields FRANCE, la Belle et ses Iles
Hadjar hits the rail head-on; Zozo is having gearbox issues, just like his buddy Troll—the gearbox either refuses to downshift or does so too late. On a track littered with bumps and manhole covers, there’s no room for error: the rail at the tunnel exit!
The Féfés dominate, as expected. But don’t think that the fact the battery is nearly full for the entire lap—a unique feature on this track—is necessarily an advantage; it doesn’t help the MGU-K’s braking, making it a challenge for the drivers to adapt.
From: Chartres, with a cathedral of XII Century in the middle of the wheat fields FRANCE, la Belle et ses Iles
FP2
A great FP2 session, with another setback for Lando—just like in Canada—an engine cutout at the Port chicane; you could definitely hear it! Seriously, there’s a problem at Mercedes—too bad for Lando and McLaren, though, since Sunday will be all about McLaren’s “Power 1000” for his 1,000th start: 10 WCC titles, 12 WDC titles, 203 wins, and 177 pole positions in F1—an XXL track record.
Hamilton holds the record for closest to the rail: 1 cm (0,0328 ft).
Right at the end of the session, Checo stopped his car—his right front brake was on fire—even though he hadn’t done any heavy braking and the track isn’t one that puts that kind of strain on brakes.
Ham finished FP2 in the lead despite two big spins—a sight to behold. I can already picture the duel between the two Ferraris for pole tomorrow. But watch out: the track will change a lot between today and tomorrow with all the different racing series running before F1, and above all, keep an eye on the Boy despite his inferior car.
Happy to see Lewis doing much better. He was **** on so ******* hard when he lost the championship to Max. That last race of the championship was by far the best I've seen of F1 that Lewis really should have won. Then the F1 guys keep on him with is nose ring.
Not looking forward to the parade laps on Sunday, maybe some reliability/crashes will mix it up with strategy but as far as racing, big yawn. If Ted was around maybe there would be some good **** and *** shots, but it looks like he is OOF.
From: Chartres, with a cathedral of XII Century in the middle of the wheat fields FRANCE, la Belle et ses Iles
Originally Posted by on track
Happy to see Lewis doing much better. He was **** on so ******* hard when he lost the championship to Max. That last race of the championship was by far the best I've seen of F1 that Lewis really should have won...
Originally Posted by on track
.... If Ted was around maybe there would be some good **** and *** shots, but it looks like he is OOF.
Who is Ted ?
I’ll be watching the F2, F3, and Porsche Super Cup races with interest, but it’s true that I’m worried Sunday’s race will be a snooze-fest—unless there’s a safety car or a red flag, which is very likely with drivers like Hadjar, Cola, Lindblad, and the two Astons, whose gearbox issues make their F1 cars unpredictable. Furthermore, an electrical failure in the Mercedes PU hybrid cannot be ruled out; Mercedes hasn’t found a solution since Canada, as we saw yesterday with Lando.
