Monaco’s processional races face a shake-up, as the FIA enforces two pit stops in a bid to revive strategic drama.
Will the next Monaco Grand Prix be as dull as usual? That is neither the hope nor the aim of the FIA, which has decided to impose two mandatory pit stops during the race. You never know…
Will this rule actually change the strategic approach teams take for this very specific Grand Prix?
For instance, at McLaren F1, has Andrea Stella implemented any different processes compared to last year in preparation for this two-stop Monaco Grand Prix?
“To be honest, you approach it in the same way, with the same tools, with the same kind of thinking process you use to tackle any event.”
“Let’s just say you have more constraints, so you need to make some adjustments in how you approach it. But in itself, I think it’s interesting.”
“After the race we had last year, a small change is an interesting element. So I welcome this kind of change.”
“In fact, I think it will be more tricky in wet conditions. So for dry conditions, I think it’s just interesting. For wet weather, it could create some tricky situations.”
“But we’re looking forward to it and, as I said, I welcome the change.”
Tim Goss, the Chief Technical Officer of Racing Bulls, also supports the changes forcibly introduced by the FIA. But will this innovation really be enough?
“It will change things, but we’re just working with our usual strategy tools. For us, it’s just one more constraint.”
“Hopefully, its main objective is achieved: which is to make the race more exciting. What we don’t want are single-stop races and processions.”
“And I applaud the effort that went into it. There were a lot, a lot of things suggested. We’ve been talking about it for many years, and I really think that if it turns out to be a success, then credit to the teams, the FIA and Formula 1 who worked together to put the package and the idea forward.”
Repeating the Monaco Experiment Elsewhere?
And if the two-stop experiment proves successful, why not repeat it at other circuits where overtaking is difficult? Such as in Singapore? Or even Imola?
“For now, it’s a one-off,” Fred Vasseur cautions. “On the other hand, I didn’t feel last year’s race wasn’t exciting. For me, it was a good race.”
Fred Vasseur may be slightly biased, as it was indeed Charles Leclerc who won last year with Ferrari in Monaco.
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“Let’s see after Monaco, because the strategy there is very difficult – it is also dictated by the safety car. So, it will be twice as difficult because of that.”
“The downside could also be that if you have an early safety car in the race… I think everyone will rush into the pit lane, and the pit lane is very narrow – that could be a problem.”
“But let’s do Monaco like this. I think we’ve been smart enough to run the experiment, and we’ll see after Monaco what we can do and where we can improve things.”
Tim Goss adds an important nuance: what matters is not the number of stops, but the variety in strategies, regardless of how many stops there are.
“What we want is varied strategies.”
“As soon as you force it and everyone does a two-stop, it’s going to take away a lot of the excitement.”
“Some of the best races we’ve had are those where someone sticks to a one-stop strategy, someone else goes for two stops and catches up over the last 15 laps – at a second per lap or more. Then their tyre degradation worsens, and you get to the last two or three laps with two cars battling side by side for the win.”
“So I think if you force the two-stop too much, it won’t work.”
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