The Monaco Grand Prix has long been the jewel in the crown of Formula 1, a thrilling racing spectacle around the narrow streets of Monte Carlo at up to 180 m.p.h.
At least for qualifying on Saturday it’s exciting. For the Grand Prix on Sunday, as the cars have become wider, longer and heavier, the racing is soporific, with virtually no overtaking. Last year, for the first time in Monaco Grand Prix history, the top 10 finished in the positions they started in.
To make the race more strategic, the World Motor Sport Council, the decision-making body of the F.I.A., which governs Formula 1, approved a proposal from the F1 Commission to raise the number of mandatory pit stops in the race to two.
The commission, which includes representatives from the F.I.A., Formula 1, the 10 teams and Pirelli, the tire manufacturer, said its recommendation had “the aim of promoting better racing at the Monaco Grand Prix.”
The F.I.A.’s World Motor Sport Council said the primary intent was “improving the sporting spectacle” of the race.
Mario Isola, director of Pirelli Motorsport, said in an interview in May that discussions over potential changes started last year with Stefano Domenicali, the president and chief executive of Formula 1.
“He was worried about a possible repeat of last year’s situation, with a red flag, leading to all the drivers running for the duration of the race without any pit stops,” Isola said.
“Obviously, in Monaco, it’s impossible to overtake because of the dimensions of the cars compared to the track. They are too big and too wide, and it’s impossible to modify the track. The only solution for a race with more action is to encourage a two-stop strategy.”
Last year, the race was stopped on Lap 1 following a crash involving Sergio Pérez of Red Bull and the drivers from Haas, Nico Hülkenberg and Kevin Magnussen. They all retired.
During the red-flag period, the remaining 17 drivers changed tires. When the Grand Prix resumed, there were virtually no pit stops. It led to a processional race with slow lap times as the drivers preserved their tires.
“Hopefully, we will have more action for the Monaco race,” Isola said. “It is a race that is dictated by the qualifying and the track position. It is not going to change. With two stops, there is more possibility of a mistake or a change of position.”
Isola said there were discussions over using all three tire compounds. In Formula 1, teams and drivers have a choice of soft, medium and hard tires for a race. Two different compounds have to be used. The soft is fastest, but has a shorter life than the medium and hard. That idea was dismissed in favor of the two-stop strategy.
Another Monaco-only regulation was also introduced affecting the tires in a wet race.
“With the current allocation, drivers only have two sets of wet-weather tires,” Isola said. “Together, we decided to supply an additional set of wet-weather tires. So, only for Monaco, they will have three sets.
“It is the same with the number of intermediate tires, and with slick tires. With this solution, it is possible to have a two-stop race in both wet and dry conditions.”
Carine Cridelich, head of strategy at Haas, said the teams face a challenge in making the new strategy work.
“Historically, it has always been a one-stop strategy in Monaco given the difficulties in overtaking,” she said in an interview in May. “By adding pit stops, there will be much more entertainment.
“Two stops gives us much more flexibility in terms of strategy. It will be interesting to see how everybody handles it.”
Cridelich said that in past Monaco Grands Prix teams waited for a safety car before making the one change of tires. It will now be different.
“With the mandatory two stops, we will probably be much less inclined to wait for the safety car,” she said. “We can push on the tires, try to build a gap, and if the degradation of the tires is higher, the undercut will be powerful and then it will trigger the show.”
An undercut is when a driver pits for new tires, using their speed advantage to gain a position on a rival who pits after.
Alex Albon, the Williams driver, and Oliver Bearman of Haas, said a possible strategy could see drivers who start at the back of the grid pit at the end of Lap 1, again after Lap 2 and run to the end on the hard tire.
“I’m sure they have figured out a solution to stop people from doing that,” Bearman said. “They’re going to have to mandate on which lap you can stop,” although there has been no mandate.
“I assume, whatever happens, it will create some interesting results.”
Albon said the two-stop strategy “may only move the goal posts” because the main issue is overtaking.
“In Monaco, there are examples where you need to be about three and a half seconds quicker per lap to overtake, and you’re not going to be able to do that unless something has severely gone wrong,” he said.
“At least it’s a good idea. We need to shake it up, and we’re heading in the right direction.”
Cridelich said making a stop at the end of each of the first two laps is “a special case.” She is treating the race like others where a two-stop strategy is required.
“The two-stop is more like a normal race weekend,” she said. “If there is no safety car, it increases the probability of a different combination of strategies.
“Then, if something happens, if you have a safety car at the right time for the two-stop strategy, everybody will use the occasion to pit, fit one of the tires and go to the end. We cannot avoid the possibility of a safety car in Monaco.”
Isola could not rule out a driver making two early stops. “You would think of this solution because you want to avoid traffic,” he said. “In any case, you create a different type of action on track.
“If you start at the back, you stop twice and you try to recover positions to get a better position at the end. You can do that. It’s a different approach to the race.”
Andy Cowell, team principal of Aston Martin, said a two-stop strategy for Monaco was not “a remarkable change from a strategic perspective.”
“There are many races where we’re deliberating between a one- or a two-stop,” he said. “With Monaco, it’s very clear you’ve got to do a two-stop.
“My hunch is that it will be heavily linked to what happens with the free running of the race. If there’s a safety car, two safety cars, that will determine when you stop.”
Preparation is key for a strategist. After qualifying, with grid positions determined, Cridelich will discuss the options with the two members of her team.
“We spend hours on Saturday going through everything,” she said. “If you are in the points, the top 10, you will do a more standard strategy, in theory.
“If you are more in the midfield or towards the back, you need to find a different combination because, normally, if you do the same as the others, you will finish where you are, so it can take a while.”
A strategist also has to be prepared to react during a race. “On a Sunday morning, we have a view on what could happen in case of a safety car, but, of course, it never happens when you expect. That would be too easy,” Cridelich said.
“So you need to focus on all your different aspects during a race: where you are on track, your position in the race, the number of laps you have done on your current set of tires. You have to ensure you are not caught by surprise.”
Charles Leclerc, the Ferrari driver who won his home race in Monaco last year and who will be back again this year, said the strategy “will add a bit of spice to the race, which is what’s needed.”
“Being in the lead last year, I was very happy for it to be not too crazy,” he said. “But you always want to try and have races as exciting as possible. By adding pit stops, it is the way to go.”
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