F1 News: Insiders worry about two-stop Monaco rule trickery

(GMM) Formula 1 insiders are worried the sport’s special Monaco-only rule mandating two pitstops per driver on Sunday will be exploited by some teams.

The idea is that being forced to run three separate sets of tires could spice up the increasingly processional nature of the race on the tight-twisty turns of the Principality.

“Last year, if you wanted to, the leader could drive ten seconds slower per lap,” championship leader Oscar Piastri said.

“Not, that won’t be possible and you’ll really have to create a gap to the rest. There are so many different possible strategies now.”

Veteran Nico Hulkenberg, however, argues that F1 is making a knee-jerk reaction. “I wasn’t fundamentally of the opinion that something had to change,” said the Sauber driver.

“Monaco has always been like this. Overtaking has always been difficult.”

Williams’ Alex Albon agrees that the intention is to “stir things up” in terms of strategy and unpredictability, but he admits the move could also backfire.

“The main concern is that this may create a situation in which all the drivers rush to the pits on the first lap, trying to get on a clean track later,” he said.

“All the strategists will admit that they have absolutely no idea where this will lead. Or how teammates will be able to use this to help each other.”

Even Pirelli boss Mario Isola admits the risk of team trickery exists.

“The safety car is quite common in Monaco,” he told Soy Motor. “There’s the risk that drivers could pit twice on consecutive laps. And that would be absolutely legal.”

Carlos Sainz agrees with his teammate Albon that some teams may view the one-off rule as a cynical opportunity. “I think the drivers will probably be forced to potentially push a bit more,” he said, “which is good.

“I’m just a little worried about teams playing too much with their drivers’ pace to help their teammates. I hope there won’t be too many tricks with that.”