Formula One's legendary Monaco Grand Prix will continue to grace the calendar until at least 2031, following a six-year extension announced on Thursday. This extension includes a date shift to June, which will prevent future conflicts with the Indianapolis 500. The race, which has been a staple since the inaugural world championship season in 1950, was temporarily halted in 2020 due to the global pandemic. Starting from 2026, the event will take place on the first full weekend of June, moving away from its traditional end-of-May slot that often overlapped with Indianapolis.
"I'm thrilled that Formula One will continue to race in Monaco until 2031," expressed Formula One CEO Stefano Domenicali in a statement. "The streets of Monte Carlo are iconic and integral to Formula One, and the Monaco Grand Prix remains a pinnacle that every driver aspires to win. This agreement marks the beginning of a new era of collaboration and innovation between Formula One and Monaco." Domenicali also highlighted that the new arrangement "will enable us to craft an optimized calendar, easing logistics pressures and reducing the environmental footprint of our global championship as we strive towards our net zero target by 2030."
This year's Monaco Grand Prix, positioned between Italy's Imola, Miami, and Canada's Montreal races, showcased a more regionally coherent race sequence. The event drew a cumulative audience of over 70 million fans, making it the third most-watched F1 race in the U.S. history. Ferrari's Charles Leclerc secured a home victory from pole position.
"The Monaco Grand Prix is the most significant sporting event in the principality and continues to draw hundreds of thousands of spectators and millions of global TV viewers," remarked Michel Boeri, President of the Automobile Club of Monaco.
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