<
        >

          Lewis Hamilton calls for new Monaco Grand Prix weekend format

          play
          Social story of the Monaco Grand Prix (1:11)

          Revisit the Monaco Grand Prix through the eyes of social media, as Daniel Ricciardo breezed his way to a chequered flag. (1:11)

          Lewis Hamilton has called on Formula One to consider a new format for the Monaco Grand Prix after the famous race served up another event low on excitement.

          Hamilton and former McLaren teammate Fernando Alonso were among the drivers to criticise the spectacle on Sunday, saying the latest Monte Carlo event was the worst they could remember. It was a race dominated by tyre conservation -- afterwards Hamilton said it "wasn't really racing" as he spent most of the race "cruising around".

          Hamilton is a Monaco resident and big fan of its grand prix but he feels F1 could do more to improve the spectacle and elevate its status as one of the calendar's premier weekends.

          "It's got the biggest build-up," Hamilton said. "It's the most special race of the year. I was thinking, 'It's just a shame that the race isn't as exciting as the whole spectacle and the track is'.

          "There's no place like it, but I think Formula One needs to apply a different rule or schedule or something. You shouldn't be able to do a one-stop here.

          "It's just insane how little I was pushing, the least that I can ever remember."

          Hamilton would welcome a tweak to the famous circuit or F1 actively trying to spice each event up in a different way.

          "I said to Prince Albert the other day maybe it's time to make [the circuit] longer. We are doing one minute elevens around here, there's more roads. Do we change this great track and make it even better.

          "Maybe it's got to be a different format, something here. You shouldn't be able to do a one stop because that's less exciting for fans. There's got to be some mix up, more mix up things but I don't know what it is.

          "Jeez, if you look at NASCAR they put in a bunch of Safety Cars in for no reason at all to bunch the pack up. Like there's a tear off on the track which they don't even have tear offs. There's like a hundred yellow flags, I mean safety cars, in the race but it brings them altogether.

          "It's just the greatest track. Maybe we need two races here, who knows."

          As is tradition, the Monaco race took place just hours before the Indy 500. Alonso, who competed in that event instead of Monaco last year, took to social media to say the famous oval was hosting the "REAL" race on Sunday.