Lewis Hamilton, a seven-time world champion, criticized the idea of holding a Formula One sprint race in Monaco, arguing that the street circuit's narrow, winding layout calls for a different kind of fix to make the racing more exciting.

The announcement came when F1 revealed Monaco as one of ten sprint locations in its newly released 2027 calendar. The decision raised eyebrows, since the harbor-front track — while known for producing thrilling qualifying sessions — typically results in races that are hard to overtake on and often play out exactly as the starting grid predicts.