Will 2026's 'yo-yo racing' mean overtaking in Monaco?

Monaco has become notorious in recent years for soporific races in which the leader controls the pace from the front in an attempt to secure the victory knowing that overtaking is almost impossible. Last year's 78-lap race had just four overtakes in total. The average for 2025's 24 grands prix, discounting sprints, was 66.9. F1 has taken on a new look this year, with increased levels of overtaking and on-track battles lasting for many laps, with drivers swapping positions repeatedly. Could this change the character of the race where overtaking is most difficult? On paper, there are reasons to believe it might. A bit, anyway. Drivers have complained in recent years that the cars were simply too big - too long and wide - to race effectively in the tight confines of the streets of Monaco. But the fact that the cars are slightly lighter and smaller this year is unlikely to make a difference. While the 2026 cars are 10cm narrower and slightly shorter, they are still 10cm wider than the cars of 20 years ago. And overtaking has been all but impossible at Monaco between cars of similar levels of competitiveness for at least half a century. If anything is going to change the nature of racing in Monaco, it is the new engines, with their nominal 50-50 split between internal combustion and electrical power, and - most importantly - the new overtake mode. 'Overtake' gives a driver within a second of a car in front an extra 0.5MJ of electrical energy per lap. …