Why the highlight of F1 2023 so far should end Monaco's calendar slot debate

The shock as he crossed the line came first. In a split second it turned to elation – an upset really is on. Finally, it was euphoria – cheering, fist-clenching delight. Esteban Ocon was leading a 2023 Formula 1 Q3 in an Alpine and in with a chance of pole. It was nothing like we’ve seen so far this season.

Sure, Fernando Alonso launching past Sergio Perez off the line in Jeddah and the two Mercedes drivers doing likewise to Max Verstappen in Australia was a nice surprise for the neutral. But this was surely tempered by the knowledge Red Bull’s impressive top speed would have its drivers back to their rightful – thanks to building the class of the 2023 field – places soon enough.

This time, though, Red Bull was in a bind for the first time this year, its forecasted season clean sweep in real jeopardy. All thanks to the unique power of Monaco pole.

Perez had wiped himself out of contention with a poor Q1 crash at Ste Devote – unable to live with the slightly loose rear the RB19 required to be at its quickest through the right-hander and then punch on up the hill through Beau Rivage. And, in Q3, Verstappen had continued his perplexing habit of producing an underwhelming opening run, which left him vulnerable to any crashes from rivals preventing further improvements – a la Miami.

He'd improved on a second go on his first set of new softs, not a typical Q3 approach, but of course track evolution is a major Monaco factor for the Dutchman’s defence. Yet then Ocon forged ahead – beaten in turn by the final flying effort flurries of Charles Leclerc and Alonso.

But Verstappen wasn’t done. After just the normal single out-lap for preparation, with Red Bull placing him perfectly in the traffic of the rest completing their last laps – he charged to an incredible pole.

The RB19 did everything he asked, with barely a whisper of opposite lock required. Verstappen scraped the wall at the second Swimming Pool chicane to perfection with such commitment at speed, then thwacked the pit wall on his final desperate charge to the line. A lap for the ages.

It was spellbinding, captivating, hyperbolic stuff. Feelings that had been missing from F1 2023 so far surely for all bar partisan Red Bull fans.

Verstappen left nothing on the table in a thrilling Q3 session, scraping the barriers as he denied Alonso a last-gasp pole

Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images

And it was all being showcased rather gloriously. Monaco has its ongoing issues with hosting a top-drawer global level sporting event – fans paying large for tickets don’t have much of a view from the few grandstands and hillside gatherings, the paddock is too cramped and everything is too pricey.

But this time, the TV production of the Automobile Club de Monaco was not in charge of the images being beamed around the world. This had been a change included as part of the city’s new deal with F1 – that runs to 2025 and also took in much discussion on the event signing sponsors that clashed with the championship’s own. Now, the promoter’s in-house team was in charge of camera positioning and style around the 2.1-mile track.

The results were impressive. Tweaked camera placings – particularly around the Swimming Pool complex – seemed to show just how quick the cars were being chucked between the barriers even more than usual, paired with some classic shots. The gradient of the full climb from Ste Devote to Massenet was shown better this time, as well as the bumpy, narrow challenge of traversing Casino Square at full chat.

Insight: 10 things we learned at the 2023 F1 Monaco Grand Prix

But the first helicopter shots of a Monaco GP were the true success. These showed better than anything how the track is threaded like an exquisite, needlessly expensive ribbon around the tight streets, shops, bars and apartments.

"Even last year, when there were talks that maybe Monaco was not on the calendar for the future – it doesn't sound right. It has to be, always" Fernando Alonso

Added in was the scale of modern cars – long known to be too wide and long to be good for overtaking here. But now it can be seen just how tricky it is to hustle a beast more akin to pleasure cruiser size than a beefed-up go-kart around Monaco without touching the unyielding steel limits.

In the race, the onboard camera of Lando Norris’s McLaren was so impacted by the late downpour it was hard to spot Oscar Piastri ahead as the Briton closed in and passed his team-mate with a neat surprise move at Rascasse. But it picked up Norris saving a wild oversteer snap as his inters briefly lost adhesion as he rattled through the second Swimming Pool chicane.

The camera on Perez’s car also captured his sole fine moment of the event; his save to have his RB19 only glance the barriers approaching the same spot as Norris, having lost its rear in the even more rapid first part of the sequence a little while later.

In the dry on Saturday afternoon, the drivers’ eye visor cams revealed again how little the aces can see of this track as they take what Alonso called “an uncomfortable level of risk” to seal glory.

Visibility for drivers during the worst of the rain was terrible, making one of the most challenging circuits on the calendar even more so

Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images

"I think the lap is high adrenaline and if we see also how it looks on TV, when I was sitting in the car, you see the whole Monaco on a sunny day – I think is a very unique place,” Alonso added. "Even last year, when there were talks that maybe Monaco was not on the calendar for the future – it doesn't sound right. It has to be, always."

That is the first takeaway from last weekend’s superb Monaco qualifying. It’s such a demonstration of how good these drivers are and how hard the challenge is that they’re attempting.

Alonso was referring to the threat of Monaco falling off the F1 calendar during its latest contract negotiations. But there are annual calls for the event to be dropped by those who cannot bear a processional Sunday.

Sometimes that just happens. And there are north of 20 other races to enjoy overtaking – even if, yes, this is harder compared to 2022 in part thanks to the cars’ floor edges being raised to eliminate porpoising.

Monaco is an epic test of driver skill. They love it and F1 fans should all embrace the result of a dull race as the price worth paying for the Monaco qualifying magic.

OPINION: Why visceral trackside experience proves Monaco's F1 worth

Perhaps there are changes worth considering if we must. An option that has been floated before would be to make qualifying the top points-paying event at Monaco and not even bother with a race. That’s rather extreme and also does away with the added endurance challenge of surviving 78 laps between the walls on race day.

But what about changing the layout – heading further into the city, which is ever expanding on land dredged from the Mediterranean – to create overtaking spots? It was mooted again last weekend, by Red Bull team boss Christian Horner. That approach would appear to somewhat satisfy the two sides of what is a tedious yearly debate.

But that it is being had around a celebration of a qualifying session reveals a far bigger problem. Right now, with one team winning everything, on course to produce the most dominant campaign in F1 history and there appearing to be few other chances for it to be stopped in 2023, the championship really has quite the competition spectacle problem.

Should F1 fans be more willing to accept processional races given the thrilling trade off in qualifying at a circuit like Monaco?

Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images