Monaco’s €2 billion offshore expansion project, which is currently underway at Portier Cove, could lead to a change of layout of its Formula 1 track, according to reports on F1i.com and in Forbes magazine, both citing comments by Prince Albert.
Located just before the circuit’s tunnel, the urban expansion over the Mediterranean is set to take approximately 15 acres of land from the sea. Once completed in 2025, the new district will include residential properties – among the most expensive in the world – public spaces, a landscaped park and a small marina.
Prince Albert has hinted that the extra parcel could eventually also serve the purpose of changing the layout of the Monaco Grand Prix track.
“We look, every once in a while, at different possibilities of extending the track, and certainly something to think about is that we are building the new land extension,” Prince Albert said in an interview with Forbes.
“There are no plans or anything yet, it is just in the back of all of our minds – people in the Automobile Club but also in the Government – that there could be.
“I am not saying that it will happen necessarily, but at some point we are going to put our minds together and say, how can we not only improve this, but how can we make it a little more exciting by maybe changing the course slightly?
“We haven’t gone beyond this simple statement of an idea,” he said. Referring to the Monaco Grand Prix’s iconic status, he added: “It is such a part of the history of the sport that I can’t envisage an F1 season without the Monaco Grand Prix.
“When you talk to all the partners of F1 and they tell you this is one of the venues where we don’t hesitate to bring our customers, that has got to mean something. It is unique for most people.”