Monaco’s New Two-Stop Rule: Shaking up F1’s crown jewel

NFL Week 9 instant reactions

Story by

Story by
Monaco’s New Two-Stop Rule: Shaking up F1’s crown jewel

Scott Gulbransen · Sportsnaut

Wed, May 21, 2025 ·

5 min read

About Our Ads

The Monaco Grand Prix always been the glitziest stop on the Formula 1 calendar . Those tight, twisty streets, the yachts, the history—it's the race every driver dreams of winning. But let's be real: the actual racing on Sunday? It's often a bit of a snooze.

In Monaco, cars follow each other in a high-speed parade, with barely any overtaking. The 2024 Monaco Grand Prix was the perfect example —after a first-lap crash brought out a red flag, almost everyone pitted early, ticked off their mandatory stop, and then cruised around, saving tires and holding position. Max Verstappen , the world champ, didn't mince words: he called it "boring."

Because even the stuffy F1 bosses and the FIA were probably bored to tears last year in Monaco, they decided to shake things up for 2025 with a bold new rule: every driver has to make at least two pit stops . Here's what that means and why it's got everyone talking.

What's the deal with the new Monaco rule?

Starting this weekend at the 2025 Monaco Grand Prix, the race rules will require drivers to pit twice, no exceptions. That means they'll burn through three sets of tires throughout the race. And here's the kicker: this applies whether it's bone-dry or pouring rain. Typically, F1 only asks drivers to use two different tire compounds in dry races, but this is a whole new ballgame. If you don't make those two stops? Expect a hefty time penalty that could tank your race.

We've got to be open-minded. We need to see if that actually makes a difference or not and be open to change back if that's not the right solution.

Why the new two-stop pit rule and why start this week?

The goal's simple: make Monaco more exciting. Last year's race showed how a single early pit stop can kill any strategy. Teams just managed their tires and played it safe. By forcing two stops, F1's hoping to open up more options.

Picture this: some teams might go for an undercut, pitting early to jump ahead with fresh rubber. Others might try an overcut, staying out longer to make the most of clean air before diving into the pits. Pit stops take time—about 20 seconds in Monaco—so those decisions could shuffle the order. Two stops should mean drivers push harder instead of nursing their tires for 60 laps. In theory, races could even be faster overall.

Monaco's usually a track where staying out longer (overcutting) works best because of traffic, but if the new rule shakes up how teams manage pace, maybe we'll see some sneaky undercuts steal the show.

What's the buzz from the paddock?

Andrew Shovlin Mercedes F1 Monaco Grand Prix pit stops

Not everyone's sold on this new rule. The rule's got the F1 world split. Some folks love it, saying it's precisely what Monaco needs to spice things up. Others aren't so sure.

Mercedes engineering guru Andrew Shovlin thinks it's a smart move—it stops teams from coasting on one set of tires and makes strategy trickier. He says knowing everyone's stopping twice is one thing, but pulling it off perfectly is another.

"It'll be quite predictable from that point of view, but it will also be quite challenging from a strategic point of view because ideally at Monaco in the past you got out in front and stayed there," Shovlin said. "But having to make two pit stops, that's going to be even more challenging."

Red Bull's megastar driver Max Verstappen weighed in too.

"I don't know if it's going to make a massive difference or whatever," Verstappen said of the new rule. I don't mind if it's one stop, two stops, 25 stops. It's all fine. I do whatever is decided, right? It's just one of these tracks where it's very hard to pass, and of course, the bigger we make the cars, the more difficult it is also to race."

Sky News F1 analyst Bernie Collins sees it as a direct fix for last year's red-flag fiasco. She believes both pit-stop phases could get spicy, especially if there's no safety car to mess things up.

"If we have a race without any safety cars, as was the case at Monaco in 2021 and 2023, that will make both pit stop phases more interesting," Collins wrote. "We plan our race a lot, looking at historical races, what has worked, what hasn't worked, why it's worked, why it hasn't worked. And we don't have that now. We've got a clean sheet."

But she also wonders if teams might need to rethink their tire choices—maybe stock up on mediums instead of the softs they usually save for qualifying. And then there's Charles Leclerc, Monaco's hometown hero and 2024 winner. He's keeping an open mind, saying F1 should give it a shot but be ready to scrap it if it flops.

"We've got to be open-minded," Ferrari's Leclerc surmised. "We need to see if that actually makes a difference or not and be open to change back if that's not the right solution."

This Monaco-only rule is a big swing for one of F1's most legendary races. Will it turn a predictable procession into a nail-biting strategy fest? We'll find out when the cars hit the pits this weekend in Monte Carlo.

Mobilize your Website

View Site in Mobile | Classic

Share by: