Why is Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix not on Thursday?
The F1 Monaco Grand Prix usually begins on Thursday, so why is 2025 different?
Sun, sea and scorching hot Formula 1 cars blazing trails around the Monaco Harbour circuit. The Monaco Grand Prix has arrived – but not at a time we usually expect it.
Monaco is a traditional outlier on the F1 calendar, a break from the normal routine of practice on Friday into Saturday, qualifying on Saturday and the race itself on Sunday.
Thursdays routinely hosted the first day of practice in Monaco before a Friday pause and resumption on Saturday. However, that quirky schedule was ditched in recent years and the race has conformed to regular race weekend timings.
If you're wondering why there will be no Formula 1 action on Thursday at the Monaco Grand Prix 2025, RadioTimes.com brings you everything you need to know.
Why is Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix not on Thursday?
Before 2022, the Monaco Grand Prix was held on the weekend of Ascension Day – a bank holiday in the province.
For this reason, racing was paused on the Friday to observe the day and for regular traffic to flow through Monte Carlo.
Large swathes of the circuit are opened and public traffic flows through Monaco as usual, without major disruption.
The day itself has become less significant to locals but the Friday break has remained a tradition to allow businesses and hotels to replenish stock and operate at maximum capacity over the hectic four-day spell.
However, in 2022, the Thursday was scrapped, with action running from Friday to Sunday. The reason given is to make the race weekend more compact in a sprawling 24-race season.
It may seem like a small change, but every day counts to teams and drivers and freeing up the Thursday gives a little extra breathing space.
When is the Monaco Grand Prix on TV?
The Monaco Grand Prix will air live on Sky Sports F1 from 12:30pm on Sunday 25th May 2025.
All races will be shown live on Sky Sports F1 and Main Event throughout the season.
Sky customers can add individual channels for just £18 per month or add the complete sports package to their deal for just £25 per month.
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Authors
Michael Potts is the Sport Editor for Radio Times, covering all of the biggest sporting events across the globe with previews, features, interviews and more. He has worked for Radio Times since 2019 and previously worked on the sport desk at Express.co.uk after starting his career writing features for What Culture. He achieved a first-class degree in Sports Journalism in 2014.
