Farewell, “Motorsports Christmas.” If you enjoyed Sunday’s so-called “Greatest Day in Racing,” savor the memories – it’s the last time for the foreseeable future that Formula 1’s Monaco Grand Prix and the Indianapolis 500 will run on the same day.
From 2026, Monaco will permanently shift to the first full weekend of June as part of F1’s revised calendar designed to reduce travel and carbon output in pursuit of Net Zero. That means no more Indy 500 drivers watching Monaco to calm pre-race nerves. And no more F1 mechanics crowded around bar TVs in Nice airport – or streaming on cellphones – catching as much of Indy as possible before heading home (of course, the majority of F1’s drivers simply watch it in their living rooms, as they’re already home).
This isn’t the first time the two iconic events – flagships of the Formula 1 World Championship and the IndyCar Series respectively – have landed on different weekends. The Indy 500’s Memorial Day slot is all but sacred (barring World Wars, the COVID-19 pandemic, or rain delays). But traditionally, Monaco’s overlap came from its alignment with Ascension Day, a French religious holiday. Until 2026…
Having attended both events on multiple occasions, I can attest: their settings couldn’t be more different, yet each is an essential bucket-list experience.
The Principality of Monaco, a sovereign city-state on the French Riviera close to the Italian border, is known for its wealth, glamor, and $50,000-per-square-meter real estate. The mild climate, glitzy casinos, and tax-friendly laws attract the ultra-wealthy.
Indianapolis, by contrast, is the hardworking capital of Indiana, ranking among the 20 most populous U.S. cities. Its industries span pharmaceuticals to automotive manufacturing, and most IndyCar teams are based there. Beyond racing, the city is known for its Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument downtown, while suburban real estate averages under $20 per square foot.
Comparing the two is like weighing Café de Paris against Steak ’n Shake – both have their charms. So do their racetracks. Monaco’s 2.1-mile street circuit has hosted the Grand Prix since 1929. The corners are tight and technical, making it one of the toughest laps in motorsport. But modern F1 cars, with their wider chassis and longer wheelbases, have turned the race into a strategic parade unless chaos intervenes.
This year, not even mandating two pitstops could improve things, as strategists managed to ‘game the system’ – by using a team car to back-up the field – and suck all the fun out of the idea. Fortunately, the McLaren team didn’t resort to such tactics at the front of the field, scoring a 1-3 finish to sandwich Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.
In Lando Norris, Monaco had a first-time winner, and he drove a perfectly judged race even when reigning champion Max Verstappen attempted to back him into Leclerc, and Lando’s team-mate Oscar Piastri, while hoping for a race stoppage for a free change of tires. When Verstappen pitted ahead of the final lap, Norris was released to unleash the fastest lap of the day as he stormed to a famous win.
Six time zones west, the Indy 500 delivered drama of its own. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway – a 2.5-mile oval nicknamed “The Brickyard” after its long-since-paved 3.2 million-brick surface – first hosted the race in 1911. It now boasts the world’s largest single-day sporting crowd, with more than 300,000 in attendance. Racing regularly exceeds 220 mph, and unlike Monaco, overtaking is plentiful.
That said, this aspect too was hamstrung in its closing stages. Once Alex Palou had jumped ahead of the napping 2022 winner Marcus Ericsson at Turn 1 with 14 laps remaining, he strategically used two backmarkers – Devlin DeFrancesco and Louis Foster – who were racing ahead of him to keep Ericsson at bay. Just like a ‘DRS train’ in F1, the second-place runner in a line of cars has the best opportunity to pass, with third on back basically trapped in their dirty air.
While DeFrancesco and Foster furiously swapped 14th position ahead of the leaders, and desperate not to go a lap down, Palou expertly managed his gap to them to ensure he stayed 0.6822s ahead of Ericsson at the finish. Had Ericsson cleared this duo while he was leading, the outcome would likely have been a different story. The former F1 driver admits it will keep him awake at night for a good while.
Palou learned this trick from record-equalling Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves, who similarly passed and then trapped him for his fourth victory in 2021. Amazingly, this was Palou’s first oval win, despite his three championships and 13 previous victories, and his fifth 2025 triumph from six races in this otherwise highly competitive series.
Perhaps the great irony here is that Palou signed a contract with McLaren Racing that potentially could have led to F1, but with Norris and Piastri looking nailed-on for the long term, he U-turned on the deal to stay with his Chip Ganassi Racing IndyCar team. Now he’s won the Indy 500, that mantle of ‘best driver outside F1’ is absolutely his. Will he ever make the leap? Only he knows.
What is certain is that “Motorsports Christmas” will look very different next year. The “Greatest Day in Racing” will now stretch across several weeks: the Indy 500 in late May, Monaco in early June, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans shortly after. Some years, there’s the potential for them to run consecutively – though not in 2026.
A final note: NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte remains on Memorial Day weekend, at least preserving America’s supersized Sunday of speed. Kyle Larson’s attempt to “Do the Double” ended in two wrecks (and he would’ve had to leave the rain-delayed Indy 500 early anyways) but NASCAR saved the best finish for last. Ross Chastain snatched victory from longtime leader William Byron with six laps to go in the weekend’s most thrilling conclusion.
At least America’s “Greatest Day in Racing” is here to stay.
Photos Courtesy of McLaren and Penske Entertainment
