Following Sunday's processional race in the streets of the Principality, while insisting that F1 will look into the issue, Ross Brawn admits that he doesn't hold out much hope.

Whatever way you look at it, once Charles Leclerc was ruled out of Sunday's Grand Prix, that was it. Admittedly, the race did have the odd burst of excitement, such as Sebastian Vettel's drag race up the hill with Pierre Gasly - which the TV director managed to miss - but for the most part it was one of the most boring, processional events in living memory.

Indeed, aside from the various undercuts and overcuts, the only genuine overtake over the course of the 99 minutes was Mick Schumacher's move on teammate Nikita Mazepin at the hairpin.

Were it to have taken place in Skegness, Clacton-on-Sea or Rimini the event would have been dropped years ago, but this is Monaco, the 'jewel in F1's crown'.

The very nature of the Principality means that changes to the track layout, which has remained largely unaltered since the 1920s, are almost impossible, while the sheer size of the cars - not to mention the 'dirty air' issue - merely add to the conundrum.

While insisting that F1 will look into the issue, Ross Brawn admits that he doesn't hold out much hope.

"We'll take a look," he says, according to ESPN. "But it won't be the first time someone has taken a look at doing something like that, and no one has come up with a solution so far.

"But we do have tools now," he added. "We have built our overtaking simulation tool and we will certainly have our people take a look at it, but it's pretty challenging.

"People often say why don't you change the tyre strategy, or things like that, but the teams adapt. They just find tactics to overcome it, so I don't think tyres or strategy is going to make a lot of difference.

"We've got new cars next year, so it will be interesting to see what evolves with that. It's a brilliant event, but we all know the limitations of the track."

Warning: Purists should look away now.

On its recent visit to the Principality, Formula E, which used the same layout as F1, featured a so-called 'Attack Zone', an off the racing line area on the outside line at Casino Square that drivers had to use twice during the course of the race in order to gain a power boost.

Asked about the feasibility of F1 trying something similar, Brawn admitted: "You need to avoid the trickery, like having bits that you have to go on several times a race. There is some racing where you have to divert and go through an overtaking lane, I don't think we should do any of that type of thing."

Asked if the sport's 'jewel', was in fact rapidly becoming the motor sport equivalent of the King's new clothes, in that, despite the hype and glamour Monaco is no longer fit for purpose in terms i=of racing, Brawn was adamant: "No," he replied.

"The thing this demonstrates is how you can build a huge spectacle around the race. It's a great event, massive history, massive atmosphere and it's a race every driver wants to win.

"It's a different sort of racing and I don't think variety is a problem."

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READERS COMMENTS

1. Posted by F1nerd, 29/05/2021 15:42

"I actually enjoy watching the Monaco GP. Maybe I look at it in a different way, but, seeing the cars going round the narrow unforgiving circuit at high speed and getting so close (sometimes too close) to the barriers to me is exciting. It certainly makes a change from some of the new modern day boring circuits."

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2. Posted by kenji, 28/05/2021 13:13

"@ TokyoAussie.....'pie in the sky'...now that's 'food for thought'. apologies in advance."

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3. Posted by TokyoAussie, 28/05/2021 3:38

"It's physics. The cars are so big these days and they accelerate so fast between corners, in order for a car to pass it would need to have a massive speed difference over the car in front. Until they look at that, anything else is just pie in the sky."

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4. Posted by Stitch431, 27/05/2021 5:02

"I agree with Brawn that we do not need more artificial tricks. DRS is bad enough in itself and kills pure racing Hopefully they changed the design of the new cars so much, that we can finally get rid of it again.
However, with the weight these new cars will have, I am afraid they will still need it ..."

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5. Posted by kenji, 27/05/2021 0:53

"@ BriComp....I like to look at all suggestions as being worthy of consideration but your suggestion,IMO, would be just too dangerous. The possibility of cars colliding when they choose to take different options would be too great. Lateral thinking though is always appreciated."

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6. Posted by kenji, 27/05/2021 0:48

"@ Chicken farmer.... good comments. As I said, although DRS is seen as a gimmick, it does open up other scenarios ,as you have also pointed out. "

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7. Posted by USA1, 26/05/2021 19:22

"Like I have been saying for the last few years, put a budget cap in place, drivers excluded and leave everything else open let’s go back to racing and stop regulating!!"

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8. Posted by BrightonCorgi, 26/05/2021 18:37

"Bring back refueling. At least it'll be more exciting watch"

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9. Posted by BriComp, 26/05/2021 15:54

"A solution to the Monaco Passing Problem is easy.
At the chicane after the tunnel the normal route will be round the chicane, all attempts to go straight on at the chicane will attract a 5 second penalty.
It will NOT be illegal to go straight on at the chicane.
Therefore if you are stuck behind a slower car, you CAN pass it by going straight on at the chicane, however you will be awarded a 5 second penalty. Therefore you will have to think long and hard as to whether passing is worth the 5 second penalty.
NOTE: The 5 second penalty may need to be adjusted up/down to come at a satisfactory number.
ROSS, JUST REMEMBER WHO MADE THIS SUGGESTION."

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10. Posted by ChickenFarmerF1, 26/05/2021 15:14

"@kenji - I've generally been of the opinion that DRS is a gimmick. However, one thing I've noticed is that, usually, if someone pulls off a pass with DRS they don't just lose out to the other car on the next DRS straight and simply lose the position back to that car. Which means that, most of the time, the car using DRS to pass streaks off into the distance. Which tells me that DRS might actually be less of a gimmick and more of a tool to let a faster car overcome the aero losses from being close behind and effectively pass the slower car.

For Monaco the DRS zones clearly weren't powerful enough though. Eliminating a chicane and anything else they can do to open up the flow of the track will help. I wonder too if eliminating the requirement for a flat floor and allowing Indy style aero tunnels and limiting wing area would make close following easier."

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11. Posted by atlanta fan, 26/05/2021 14:53

"My view is that F1 needs to limit the field at Monaco in some manner. 20 cars on the Monaco circuit to unsafe and has a negative impact on the race from a driver's and fan's prospective. I know F1 thinks 20 cars makes for a better show, but in mind, at Monaco it doesn't. Maybe smaller group qualifying sessions (Indy style) and only the fast 15 start the race. Monaco is special track and there no reason F1 can't have a special set of rules. "

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12. Posted by Superbird70, 26/05/2021 14:15

"Bring back Bernie with the water trucks and make it a 100% wet race. "Rain" evens everything out."

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13. Posted by kenji, 26/05/2021 11:02

"Whilst Monaco is a bore it has had some rare moments but they are too far apart to be of any import to todays problem. What I would like to propose is that the 'nouveau chicane be dispensed with. Open up that section and we would see the possibility of higher speeds and some enhanced DRS usage. Yes, DRS, is viewed by lots of fans, myself included, as being artificial but it does provide passing and that can't be too bad especially in Monaco because it opens up other associated possibilities."

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14. Posted by Motorsport-fan, 26/05/2021 9:48

"I personally would like to see the track opened up again, to many artificial kerbs, the barriers should dictate the track layout. "

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15. Posted by Kkiirmki, 26/05/2021 9:36

"The most entertaining thing about the race was Hamilton's whining over the radio."

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F1 will "take a look" at Monaco changes, says Brawn

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