Pierre Gasly says losing ‘iconic’ Monaco Grand Prix from F1 calendar would be a ‘shocker’

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AlphaTauri driver Pierre Gasly would be shocked if the Monaco Grand Prix was removed from the Formula 1 calendar as it’s an “iconic” track.

The circuit has been a permanant fixture of the F1 season since 1955 but there have been calls to get rid of the street track as the qualifying order usually determines the race result. But Gasly has defended the circuit and wants it to remain on the billing.

“That would be a bit of a shocker if Monaco gets taken out of the calendar,” Gasly said as per Motorsport.com. “It’s probably the most iconic race in the world.

“Talking to non-F1 fans, everyone had heard about Monaco for various reasons, whether it’s racing, whether it’s party-related, whether it’s all of the action that happens around the grand prix. It’s a very iconic weekend.

“I think, and I really hope, we get to experience it as drivers because it’s probably the toughest track of the season, the most challenging, and is my favourite one.”

And while there are changes to the calendar, with Las Vegas being added from the 2023 season, Gasly believes there are some circuits that should never be removed.

“I think they are very iconic tracks, especially Spa and Monaco, they are my two favourite tracks,” he added. “I think they are part of the history and DNA of Formula 1 and they should be on the calendar every year.

“We know F1 nowadays, there are a lot of things involved in how to plan the whole season, so we’ll see what happens. But personally, I really hope we can keep them over the next few years.”

So far this season Gasly, who is hoping to return to Red Bull, is in 12th in the driver standings. He will next have the opportunity to prove himself to big teams at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix on 24 April.

Gasly is bidding to race at a big team again after being dropped by Red Bull in 2019. The team’s boss Helmut Marko admits Gasly is such a talent that if they can’t offer him a seat they could lose him.

Speaking to Formel1.de, Marko said: “With Gasly we still have a contract until 2023, and it’s already clear that if this contract expires and we can’t offer him a chance to move up, we will most likely lose him, and we don’t want that.”