Monaco will keep the layout of its Formula 1 circuit, Automobile Club de Monaco president Michel Boeri says, despite longstanding questions about the tight track and limited room in the Principality. The race is secured on the F1 calendar until at least 2035, but Boeri said a planned building could offer a chance to reconsider the grid area and possibly extend the agreement further.

The circuit has been revised several times since the first Monaco Grand Prix in 1929. Major changes and widening are constrained by the limited space available, although Monaco has reclaimed land from the sea for construction, including when the Nouvelle chicane was built 40 years ago. Boeri said the club does not plan further changes to the circuit configuration.

“Very importantly, the circuit will not be changed, contrary to what I’ve heard many people suggest,” Boeri told Nice-Matin. “Demolishing this or moving that would automatically trigger a fresh review of the circuit and require new FIA homologation.”

Formula 1 has extended its contract to race in Monaco twice in the past two years. The current agreement runs through at least 2035. Boeri said F1 promoters Liberty Media recognized the historic venue’s value to the championship, while describing the relationship as a commercial negotiation.

“They’re not here out of charity,” he said. “They’re here to make money. And we’re here to give them as little as possible and make as much as possible ourselves. It’s a straightforward, fair contest in an open market.”

Boeri said the American promoters had recognized that Monaco could respond to their concerns. He also pushed back against critics who describe the circuit as a “merry-go-round,” a reference to the difficulty of passing there.

“Our American friends realised how responsive we could be. Unlike those who still call Monaco ‘the merry-go-round’ and would do well to update their thinking, we reached an understanding in principle that the grand prix is a major draw for Formula 1. We weren’t going to be constantly hassled over whether a kerb had two or three too many corners.”

The building under consideration could allow the club to rethink the grid area and potentially create room for a longer-term contract, though Boeri said details have not been settled. He identified the pit lane as a pressing challenge, citing the narrow garages and lack of space at ground level.

“The grand prix’s future is secured until 2035, but with this platform and the building that will be constructed on it, we might be able to rethink the grid area and perhaps even extend the contract further,” he said. “All of that remains to be defined.”

“It’s no secret, for example, that the pit lane will be difficult to sustain much longer. Space is limited, and the garages aren’t wide enough. And when you don’t have width on the ground, you build upward.” Boeri added: “I can already hear all the non possumus [‘not possible’] objections that will come from this area, but eventually people will see reason. I’m no gardener, but there’s more than one kind of tree, for example.”

The constraints have also shaped racing decisions. Because overtaking is difficult at Monaco, F1 introduced a rule last year requiring drivers to make two tyre changes. The measure produced a more processional race, with several cars deliberately lapping very slowly. Drivers criticized the outcome, and the rule was later dropped.

Monaco is scheduled to stage a sprint race for the first time next year, a decision that surprised many given the track’s overtaking challenges. Boeri’s comments leave the circuit layout unchanged while the club considers whether construction can address pressure on the grid area and pit facilities.

Based on reporting by RaceFans.