(The Gas Station is where American Cars And Racing Executive Editor Gary Gastelu vents his opinions. Feel free to let us know if you think they stink.)
2026 is set to be one of the most interesting and, hopefully, exciting years in Formula 1 history.
The series is launching new hybrid powertrain units and a new car design packed with features to improve the racing product. They have more power, active aero to make them faster on straights and boost buttons to help passing that work like the old DRS, but use an electric boost instead.
They’re also smaller and lighter than last year’s cars, though not by all that much. They’re four inches narrower with eight-inch shorter wheelbases and skinnier tires, while also dropping about 66 pounds. Still, given how precise the driving is in Formula 1 and the close-quarters racing, the minor shrinkage could open the door to more passes on narrow tracks, but perhaps not the most famous one.
The Monaco Grand Prix is notorious for not having many on-track passes during the race, due to its lack of width and long straights. There was just one legal one in 2025, according to reports. Overtakes primarily happen during pit stops, which is why Formula 1 last year decided to mandate at least two for each car. This makes qualifying a top priority, and often more compelling than the main event.
As far as passes for the lead are concerned, you have to go back to 1985 for the last one that took place without mitigating circumstances, like rain or significant technical issues, when Michele Alboreto’s Ferrari got by Alain Prost’s McLaren. The two would swap positions later in the race as Alboreto’s car suffered flat tire, leaving him to settle for second to Prost. Alboreto would finish the race with the fastest lap time, however, and we’ll get back to that in a bit.
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The battle between Ayrton Senna and Nigel Mansell in 1992 is most illustrative of the problem. Mansell had to pit from the lead due to a puncture with seven laps to go and came out behind Senna. Mansell’s Williams was clearly much faster on fresh rubber, but he just couldn’t find his way past the McLaren. Senna didn’t even have to throw any egregious blocks to keep Mansell at bay for several laps, he just drove a perfectly clean line without offering the Williams any opportunities to get by. As with Alboreto in 1985, Mansell had the fastest lap of the 1992 race, which should be worth something, right?
Well, it last was from 2019 to 2024, when one point was awarded to the driver with the fastest lap, as long as they finished the race in top 10 overall positions. Unfortunately, it didn’t really add much to the show. Typically, cars in a position to pit without being overtaken would make a stop for soft tires in the closing laps, when their fuel tank was low, and throw down a hot lap that the TV broadcasters didn’t even go out of their way to make sound exciting. Worse, teams with a car outside the top 10 could do the same to steal the point back from a competitor in the top 10, even if they couldn’t claim it for themselves.
But what if there were more points up for grabs, and not just for the fastest lap? Imagine if Formula 1 used the sprint race system and awarded points to the top eight, or even top 10 best times without regard for race position? More drivers would take chances, which could lead to more mistakes, which could add a new to the race. Just think about how much fun Monaco is when it rains, like in 1996. That’s the last race when there was any type of pass for the lead as Damon Hill came in early to switch to slick tires and got by Jean Alesi, who was stuck with wets on a drying track.
This proposed points payout system still might not lead to many more passes, but fans would have a race within the race to follow. Even someone with a safe lead might want to drive their socks off for the extra points. Require the best time be set before the last 10 or 20 laps to shift the entertainment away from the end of the race.
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I’m sure purists will love this idea (sarcasm emoji) and would love to see it at every track, but Monaco is really the only one that needs help, and changes to the circuit layout to create new passing zones don’t seem to be on the horizon.
That horizon now stretches to 2035, which when Monaco’s new contract with Formula 1 expires. That’s at least 10 more races that people will be complaining about, anyway, so why no give this idea a shot in at least one of them?
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