- Monaco GP becomes only 2026 race where straight mode is completely absent.
- Ferrari’s low-speed strengths put them in contention to end Mercedes’ unbeaten run.
- Bortoleto expects overtaking to remain nearly impossible despite the overtake mode.
Formula 1 will arrive in Monaco next weekend without one of its defining features. For the first time in the 2026 season, the active aerodynamic system known as straight mode will not operate at any point on the circuit.
The FIA determined that not a single section of the Monte Carlo street track meets the criteria required for the system to be used safely.
The decision carries real consequences for the competitive order. Mercedes has won all five races so far in 2026, with Kimi Antonelli claiming four victories and George Russell one.
Their dominance has been built, in part, on a car that extracts maximum benefit from the new 2026 Power Units. Without straight mode and long straights to achieve top speed, that advantage shrinks.
How straight mode works
The 2026 cars feature movable front and rear wing blades. In corner mode, the blades close to generate downforce through twisty sections. On designated straights, the blades open, reducing both drag and downforce.
This open configuration is straight mode, and it can cut drag by around 20% and add up to 20 km/h of top speed. The system replaced DRS, which was retired after 2025.
DRS was a reactive tool. It allowed a following car to open its rear wing when within one second of the car ahead. Straight mode is different. It operates as a broader performance tool available to all drivers, not just those in pursuit.
The 2026 power units also split their output equally, with 50% coming from the internal combustion engine and 50% from the electrical battery. Straight mode was designed, in part, to help the cars manage that new power architecture efficiently.
At the Canadian Grand Prix last weekend, drivers had three designated straight mode zones. Monaco has none.
Why Monaco failed the FIA’s criteria
The FIA applies a consistent set of conditions before approving any straight mode zone. The primary requirement is that the zone must cover an area where the car is not operating at the limit of tyre grip.
That includes not just cornering loads, but also braking and traction zones, where activating or deactivating the system could unsettle the car.
Monaco is almost entirely composed of those very zones. Slow corners, hairpins and narrow streets with barriers on either side leave almost no room for a genuine high-speed straight.
The start-finish straight between Anthony Noghes and Sainte Dévote had hosted a DRS zone in previous years. Even that section could not qualify for straight mode in 2026.
A minimum duration rule adds another layer. The FIA requires each straight mode zone to last more than three seconds. The reasoning is practical: short bursts add to driver workload without delivering meaningful gains in performance or fuel efficiency. No stretch of tarmac in Monaco clears that threshold.
Safety at the Tunnel exit was a specific concern. The area offers very limited run-off, and the FIA concluded the speeds generated by straight mode activation would create unacceptable risk there.
The governing body also required each zone to remain safe not just during a low-fuel qualifying lap, but also at the end of a race stint, when tyre performance has degraded significantly. Monaco could not satisfy that standard at any point on the lap.
Overtake mode remains, but optimism is scarce
Drivers will not be entirely without dynamic tools. An energy-based overtake mode remains available. It gives a driver extra electrical power when they are within one second of the car ahead, with the activation zone set before the final corner.
Detection for the overtake mode takes place between the Swimming Pool section and La Rascasse, triggering just before Turns 18 and 19.
Whether that provides genuine overtaking opportunities is another matter. Gabriel Bortoleto spoke plainly about his expectations after the Canadian Grand Prix.
“I think it’s going to be difficult to overtake in Monaco if I’m honest with you, because there is a lot of recharging in Monaco,” he told Planet F1. “The SM will be off, if I understood correctly, so also the effect of the wing is not going to be there.”
Bortoleto was not dismissive of the race itself, but he did not reach for false optimism either.
“I think hopefully it’s a bit more fun racing than last year, but we know that we have now these big cars, and unfortunately, it’s not easy to overtake, so I don’t expect to be massively different from the past, but I hope to be wrong,” he said.
His assessment reflects what most within the paddock already know: Monaco rewards qualifying position above all else, and a race pass almost always requires the car in front to make a mistake.
A window opens for Ferrari
Removing straight mode from the equation changes more than just the technical setup for one weekend. It removes a competitive layer that has consistently favoured Mercedes.
With aerodynamic surfaces fixed throughout the race, the performance factors shift towards chassis balance and mechanical grip through slow corners.
Ferrari’s SF-26 is widely regarded as one of the best cars on the grid through medium and low-speed sections. The car’s power unit has shown a relative weakness at high engine speeds, but that matters far less in Monte Carlo than it does anywhere else on the calendar.
Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur has a second upgrade package planned for the Spanish Grand Prix the following week, so significant new parts are unlikely to appear this weekend. The SF-26 may not need them.
Charles Leclerc, who races in Monaco as his home grand prix, will look forward to a second victory in the streets of the principality. He will not need reminding of what this weekend represents.
McLaren, which runs the shortest wheelbase on the grid, will also carry legitimate ambitions. Their car’s compact dimensions tend to suit the tighter sections of the circuit.
Teams could also look at bringing aerodynamic configurations built specifically for Monaco’s demands, though the budget cap makes any single-race development solution a difficult financial calculation.
What the Monaco GP promises to offer, in a season that has so far looked settled, is genuine uncertainty. Without straight mode, raw engine power matters less than it has at any other round. The team that wins will not necessarily be the one with the strongest package on a conventional circuit.
