Lewis Hamilton doesn’t want F1 to axe ‘crown jewel’ Monaco Grand Prix

Hamilton does not feel new races coming into the F1 calendar should push the historic ones out

Hamilton has won the Monaco Grand Prix on three occasions (Getty Images)

Lewis Hamilton has warned Formula One against getting rid of its ‘crown jewel’ race, the Monaco Grand Prix.

F1 boss Stefano Domenicali recently suggested historical pedigree was not enough to keep any race on the sport’s calendar.

And with the Monaco race’s contract set to expire at the end of this season, there are fears it could be ousted from the schedule in the near future.

Those fears were accentuated following the announcement of a new flagship Las Vegas GP from 2023 - another street circuit in an iconic location.

But Hamilton, who has won the Monaco race three times, feels it is important to keep the most prestigious tracks on the calendar.

He said: “I mean, it’s one of the crown jewels of our sport. So I’m not really sure it would be great to lose it.

“There are good bits… I guess that the difficult part is that the racing itself is not that spectacular. But everyone that goes enjoys it. It is a prime location.

“Adjusting the track is not easy, because it’s the second smallest country in the world. I think it’s the second or third smallest country? Second, right? And so, yeah, we don’t have a lot of space there.

“Many of us live in Monaco. But it is just that that icon status it has, the history that it has that is so appealing to drivers, but also I think to those that are watching.”

Only four drivers have won the Monaco GP more times than Hamilton - Ayrton Senna, Graham Hill, Michael Schumacher and Alain Prost.

Senna holds the record for the most victories in Monte Carlo with six wins - including five in a row between 1989 and 1993.