Scheduled since 1950 and continuously since 1955 – subject to the 2020 exception blocked by Covid-19 -, the Monaco Grand Prix it is a fixed stage of the Formula 1 world championship, of which it has undoubtedly become one of the most characteristic and well-known tracks in the world. Seeing the racing cars speeding through the narrow streets of the Principality always has a particular charm, which oscillates between history and anachronism, and it is known that it offers practically no overtaking possibilities. Among the peculiar characteristics of the trip to Monte Carlo there was also the particular composition of the weekend, which included the sessions on the track distributed between Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. On Friday the Formula 1 single-seaters did not go to the track and the drivers had a day off, which they used for activities with media and sponsors.
Because in 2022, F1 will not run on Thursdays. What began as an indiscretion has turned into reality and in the program of the Monaco Grand Prix next weekend the battle between Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes will start on Friday, the date of the two free practice sessions. The decision to eliminate Thursday on the track was taken by Formula 1 with a view to condensing the weekends due to the many races scheduled, and therefore the interviews with the drivers were scheduled for Friday morning, with PL1 at 14.00 and the PL2 at 17.00. This choice will allow the teams a better organization, given that for the third time in history (as also happened in 2010 and 2011) we will arrive in Monte Carlo just a week after the previous race.
But it will not be a Thursday without the roar of the engines in the Principality: in the afternoon the FIA Formula Regional by Renault, Porsche Supercup and Formula 2 will take to the track for the three free practice sessions.
Because until 2021, F1 did not run on Fridays. Initially, the Monaco Grand Prix was organized on the weekend of the Ascension, a Christian religious holiday that falls 40 days after the Resurrection, to allow a greater influx of public to the circuit, taking advantage of the holiday date. And Friday was the day dedicated to the procession, which occupied the streets of the Principality. The procession has not been carried out for years and the calendar requirements no longer respect the Ascension weekend, but the stop day was traditionally kept and to allow the city not to be paralyzed with two consecutive days of closure to traffic ( Friday and Saturday). The repercussions in economic terms – in times not of a pandemic – are also not negligible, with tourists called to stay an extra day in the Principality. Over the years the traffic problem had been overcome: on the 2021 program, for example, Thursday 20 May the streets were closed to the public from 5.30 to 19.30, Friday 21 May from 5.30 to 14.30, Saturday from 7.30 to 19.30, Sunday from 7.30 to 20.30.
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