The Monaco Grand Prix will be the first event of the 2026 season to take place without the new “Straight Mode” feature, introduced as part of the new technical regulations.
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The latest version of the circuit map published by F1 indeed confirms that no activation zone for the straight line mode will be available in the streets of the Principality, unlike the first five rounds of the championship.
“Straight Mode” is part of the major innovations of the 2026 regulations. Thanks to new active aerodynamic systems, drivers can simultaneously open certain parts of the front and rear wings to reduce aerodynamic drag and increase their top speed.
A straight line… not straight !
This technology complements the new hybrid power units whose power is equally split between the internal combustion engine and electric energy. However, FIA regulations require that a Straight Mode activation zone lasts at least three seconds.
However, even the main straight at Monaco — which used to host the only DRS zone on the circuit — is considered too short to meet this requirement, especially since it is slightly curved and not really straight.
Result: no Straight Mode zone will be available throughout the Monaco weekend. This does not mean, however, the total disappearance of overtaking aids.
The “Overtake Mode” system will remain allowed
The detection point is located before the Rascasse corner, while activation can be triggered at the exit of the Antony Noghes corner, the last on the circuit. The big question now is what impact this absence of Straight Mode will have on overtaking opportunities.
In recent years, Monaco has often been criticized for the near-impossible difficulty to overtake, especially during the era of ground effect cars, which became particularly long and wide. The 2026 single-seaters being lighter, more compact, and more maneuverable, some observers hope that drivers will be able to follow each other more closely and create more overtaking opportunities.
The Monaco layout, only 3.3 kilometers long, also has another advantage: it requires much less energy management than circuits like Montreal, Monza, or Baku.
An atypical layout
Several drivers and engineers thus believe that the new cars should be more natural to drive in Monaco, where battery charging constraints are significantly less important.
It remains to be seen whether this combination of more agile cars, simplified energy management, and absence of Straight Mode will really improve the spectacle in the most prestigious and emblematic event on the Formula 1 calendar.
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