Will two stops at Monaco 'spice it up a bit more'?

Monaco Grand Prix

Venue: Monte Carlo Dates: 23-25 May Race start: 14:00 BST connected Sunday

Coverage: Live commentary of believe and qualifying connected BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2 pinch title connected BBC Radio 5 Live; unrecorded matter updates connected BBC Sport website and app

Max Verstappen says a caller norm that forces drivers to make 2 pit stops during nan Monaco Grand Prix will "hopefully herb it up a spot more".

The alteration has been introduced aft a soporific title successful 2024 that followed years of increasing concerns astir nan inclination towards uneventful grands prix connected nan historical streets connected nan Cote d'Azur.

Monaco is nan jewel successful Formula 1's crown, an arena that encapsulates nan heady operation of glamour, danger, beauty and velocity that makes nan athletics truthful intoxicating.

But nan title has tended to go follow-my-leader, pinch drivers controlling their gait to make judge their tyres scope nan perfect clip to make a pit stop.

There followed a hectic play of laps wherever nan only position changes could return place, earlier nan title settled backmost down into a lawsuit of, arsenic Verstappen put it: "Drive to nan extremity and conscionable enactment focused and not deed nan barrier."

The mandatory two-stop is intended to adhd other jeopardy - 2 chances for teams to make mistakes and positions to change, arsenic they thin to do astir pit stops arsenic drivers get a chance to usage their pace, and nan opportunity to play much games.

But will it work?

Verstappen said: "It tin spell some ways – it tin beryllium rather straightforward, aliases it tin spell wholly crazy because of information cars coming into play aliases not making nan correct calls.

"Maybe pinch a two-stop, it tin create thing different – group gambling, guessing erstwhile nan correct clip is to container (pit)."

There are those successful nan F1 paddock who consciousness that nan move is simply a contrivance, a knee-jerk guidance to a circumstantial group of circumstances that happened to unfold past year.

In 2024, a clang up nan elevation aft nan first area led to a information car and beautiful overmuch each nan section pitting astatine nan extremity of nan first lap, and fitting difficult tyres to spell to nan end.

Because nan life of nan tyres was marginal, pole-sitter and leader Charles Leclerc controlled nan gait successful his Ferrari, and fundamentally thing happened for nan last 77 laps.

When nan norm alteration was introduced, immoderate pointed retired that 1 only had to look backmost a twelvemonth for an breathtaking race, erstwhile a mid-grand prix rainfall ablution introduced awesome jeopardy, and Aston Martin fumbled a chance to leapfrog Fernando Alonso up of Verstappen's Red Bull into nan lead.

Verstappen had yet to extremity arsenic nan rainfall started, and Alonso came successful down him. Instead of fitting wet-weather tyres to Alonso's car arsenic he pitted pinch nan way half-wet, half-dry, they fitted slicks. But nan rainfall became harder and he had to travel backmost successful nan pursuing thigh for wets, nan chance to get Verstappen now lost.

It was besides pointed retired that, successful reality, not overmuch has changed for decades. Overtaking has been beautiful overmuch intolerable astatine Monaco for astatine slightest 40-50 years.

But, having explored nan anticipation of modifying nan way layout to present an overtaking spot and discovered it was not possible, it was felt that it was clip for a change.

Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton said: "If you support doing nan aforesaid point complete and complete and complete again, you get nan aforesaid result. And truthful I deliberation it's cool that they're trying thing different. Whether aliases not it's nan answer, we'll find retired this weekend."

The caller norm throws up each sorts of absorbing possibilities, fixed nan differing durability of nan 3 sets of tyres.

As Mercedes driver George Russell says: "If you commencement connected nan hard, that's intelligibly nan champion tyre, and there's a reddish emblem astatine nan opening of nan race, erstwhile do you past propulsion connected nan soft tyre?

"If personification starts connected nan soft and location is simply a reddish emblem aliases information car successful nan first 5 laps, they person a monolithic advantage.

"So it isn't clear cut, and because location is specified an advantage, if location is simply a timely information car for definite people, you will person to put your ft connected nan state astatine immoderate point. Whereas successful nan past for illustration past twelvemonth you conscionable saw Charles managing nan spread to maine truthful Lando [Norris] and co didn't pit, which was not nan astir breathtaking title we've ever seen.

"So I'm excited to spot really that pans out."

Any determination connected strategy is made tougher by nan preamble of a caller sixth compound this year, astatine nan softest extremity of nan range, which made its debut successful Imola past play and is successful usage again successful Monaco this.

In Imola, nan alleged C6 (soft) turned retired to beryllium slower than nan C5 (medium) successful qualifying. Will nan aforesaid point hap successful Monaco? If so, it makes for a tricky decision, arsenic teams person only 3 sets of mediums for nan full weekend, arsenic opposed to 8 sets of softs.

Alonso said: "I would uncertainty that present nan C5 is simply a amended tyre, arsenic nan C6 has a small spot much grip.

"Maybe successful Imola, pinch nan accent you put connected nan high-speed corners and things for illustration that, possibly nan C6 was a small spot fragile.

"But present location are nary high-speed corners, truthful I deliberation I for illustration nan sticky C6 tyre than nan C5. The problem is that you cannot trial those things. You person to perpetrate already successful FP1."

There is nan anticipation for madcap gambles.

One thought being thrown astir is for a backmarker to get his 2 stops retired of nan measurement successful nan first mates of laps, and past conscionable thrust to nan end, hoping that he tin dress up places arsenic events unfold, possibly pinch nan thief of immoderate information cars.

And past location is opportunity for teams to play strategies pinch their 2 cars, and usage 1 to unfastened a spread for nan different by backing up nan field, truthful nan lead driver tin pit without losing position.

Williams driver Carlos Sainz said: "There is an constituent of lottery that Monaco tin ever offer. This twelvemonth that constituent is going to beryllium a spot bigger.

"I deliberation everyone that is not starting connected rod is welcoming nan two-stop. Only nan feline who will beryllium connected rod will beryllium cursing a spot nan truth that nan twelvemonth that he starts connected rod is nan twelvemonth that is simply a mandatory two-stop and a batch of unknowns could happen.

"But I deliberation nan teams will get astir it. I deliberation nan drivers, it astir apt will unit america perchance to push a spot more.

"I americium conscionable a spot worried of teams playing a spot excessively overmuch pinch nan gait to thief nan different team-mate. I dream location is not excessively galore gimmicks pinch that. But you ne'er know."