George Russell warns Monaco GP’s new pit rule may disrupt traditional strategies, affecting Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull outcomes.
Russell expects the new two-stop pit rule to significantly impact team strategies during this weekend’s Monaco F1 Grand Prix.
To spice up the show, F1 has announced that all drivers will be required to make two mandatory pit stops during Sunday’s 78-lap race in Monte Carlo.
Due to the lack of overtaking opportunities in the principality, F1 hopes that forcing drivers to make a second pit stop could make the race more entertaining.
Strategy Over Qualifying Now
In 2024, winner Charles Leclerc didn’t need to stop after changing his tyres under the red flag.
That will be avoided this year, as all 20 drivers will be required to make two stops.
Speaking Thursday in Monaco, Russell explained why this new rule could make race pace more important than in previous years.
“We’re looking forward to this weekend because we know qualifying has been a strength for us. We’ve been a tenth off pole on many occasions without fully converting. This two-stop strategy will be very interesting to watch.”
“In the past, it was all about qualifying, and you could control the gaps behind and keep things tight. I don’t think that will be the case this weekend.”
“So race pace is not negligible, and we know that’s not our strongest point. So we’ll see.”
Monaco Form Still Unclear
Monaco is unique due to its layout of exclusively slow corners. Over the years, Ferrari has been the team to beat there. Leclerc took pole in 2021 and would have won in 2022 without a poor strategy. He finally got his redemption in 2024, winning from pole.
However, with the SF-25 struggling in slow corners this year, Russell is unsure which team will come out on top this weekend.
“I think we’ve probably been the third-best team on average this season, but being third has often been enough to get us on the podium or qualify in the top three, so it’s not as clear-cut as in the past. Red Bull only has Max performing at the moment. Lando and Oscar are both in the mix, but their qualifying performances are sometimes a bit inconsistent.”
“Likewise, Ferrari has some better and some worse races. They looked pretty good in pace at Imola, also in Jeddah, but now we’re in Monaco, where they’ve dominated before, though maybe their new car isn’t as well suited. For now, we just don’t know.”
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