Hamilton wants Monaco ‘crown jewel’ to stay on calendar

Lewis Hamilton has joined the list of drivers urging Formula 1 to keep Monaco on the calendar, despite the difficulty they experience in trying to overtake.

Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has long hinted that the history of a circuit alone is not enough to keep it on the schedule, as he claims the demand for the sport is big enough to be able to comfortably host a 30-race calendar – heightening the importance on its current circuits to deliver.

Race organisers are confident that a new three-to-five year contract will be agreed imminently, but the future of one of motorsport’s ‘Triple Crown’ has come under increasing scrutiny in recent years.

But Hamilton, a three-time winner around Monte Carlo, joined the likes of Pierre Gasly and Daniel Ricciardo in hoping to see the race keep its place in Formula 1.

Miami and Las Vegas pose a clear threat to Monaco's future on the #F1 calendar.

But those desperate for its demise should be careful what they wish for.

@OllieHardenhttps://t.co/XkW7vmgpAe #F1 pic.twitter.com/lsjiJXd66T

— PlanetF1 (@Planet_F1) May 3, 2022

“I mean, it’s one of the crown jewels of our sport. So I’m not really sure it would be great to lose it,” Hamilton said, quoted by The Independent.

“There are good bits… I guess that the difficult part is that the racing itself is not that spectacular. But everyone that goes enjoys it. It is a prime location.”

The main criticism of the circuit is the lack of wheel-to-wheel racing it produces – a factor that has been exacerbated by the ever-increasing size of Formula 1 cars in the modern era, with little that can be done to widen areas of the track.

But despite that, Hamilton pointed to the history of the race itself and its place in the pantheon of motorsport is what