Max Verstappen claims that the current F1 cars are too clumsy to “come alive” around street circuits, a worrying verdict ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix.

Fresh off his impressive victory at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, Verstappen will bid to strengthen his pursuit of a fifth straight World Championship this weekend in Monaco, though he is not expecting a very exciting experience at the wheel around this iconic street track.

Max Verstappen rues ‘too big, too heavy’ F1 cars ahead of Monaco GP

The Monaco Grand Prix has been an iconic stop on the F1 calendar since 1950, and alongside an Indy 500 and 24 Hours of Le Mans victory, forms the ‘Triple Crown of Motorsport’.

But as the cars have grown bigger and gained mass over the years, it has raised question marks over the suitability of the circuit for modern F1 competition.

Formula 1’s governing body the FIA has looked to go some way to addressing the situation with the new regulations for F1 2026, which will introduce smaller and lighter cars, but before then, the current F1 challengers will head into Monaco Grand Prix action one final time.

And Verstappen is of the belief that these cars are “dull” when driven around a street track.

“I do think the cars that we have now, they just don’t really work that nicely on a street circuit, unfortunately,” he said at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

“They are way too big, too stiff, too heavy. So, I would say they don’t really come alive compared to like 2016 even.

“I know the lap times were a lot slower, but at least there felt like on a street circuit, the car was still coming alive a bit. You could take some curbs and yeah, it was working. Now, everything just feels a bit dull.

“But yeah, on tracks like this [Imola], it is a lot of fun, you know, so many fast corners. And you know that basically the limit is a gravel or the grass, and I think that makes it always a little bit more exciting and a little bit more difficult.”

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The 2025 staging of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola looks set to be the last for the foreseeable future.

Imola joins Monaco as iconic venues within the world of Formula 1, and as the calendar continues to evolve amid surging popularity for the sport, Verstappen’s title rival Oscar Piastri urged caution over which tracks make way.

“If we don’t come back here, it is going to be a shame,” said Piastri on Imola.

“I think having two races in the same country in today’s F1 maybe doesn’t make the most sense, given how many countries want to hold a race.

“But, I agree we need to be careful. We need to be careful not to lose all the historical tracks that have been here forever, because I think at least 75 per cent of them are the favourites for the drivers.

“I think if you ask the drivers their top three favourites, it’s probably a mix of Silverstone, Suzuka, Spa, here, and probably Zandvoort. And here is probably going to disappear. Zandvoort is disappearing. Spa is on a rotation. I think Monza is pretty safe, because I think [laughs] there’s some other problems if Monza disappears!

“But we do need to be careful to keep all these tracks, because a qualifying session around Imola, and tracks like Imola are definitely more exciting than some other tracks on the calendar, for example. But it’s obviously a balance.”

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