The FIA has said it’s likely to continue the mandatory 2-stop strategy at next year’s Monaco Grand Prix despite it being exploited by teams this year. The FIA single-seater director Nikolas Tombazis told Autosport:
“First of all, we don’t think that what we saw this year is necessarily the thing to repeat or the thing to aim for. There is an issue to be addressed.
“At the moment the 2026 rules still include the two pitstops for Monaco, but we are in August and Monaco is in June next year. The intention is to discuss it more in the Sporting Advisory Committee.”
You’ll recall that teams like Williams who had two cars running close together simply used one car to back the field up to create enough room/time for their other car to make a stop and hold track position. In some cases driving 3s or more off the actual pace.
This left Williams team boss, James Vowles, a bit surprised that they would keep the rule:
“For the record, we weren’t the first to do it. We had to do it in reaction to the field,” he said. “I didn’t like it. It’s the most uncomfortable I’ve felt. I like going out there and fighting for points on merit rather than having to game the system in order to achieve it.
“I think the arguments that are being made were, ‘Was it a better show irrespective of that?’. I can’t answer that question. I think that’s for the fans to answer. My personal feeling is, I don’t like the lack of clean racing that occurs as a result of it.”
On one hand, you have to applaud the FIA to trying to make the Monaco GP a bit more exciting with more passing but on the other hand, this gambit didn’t work that well and I am not sure what could be done to solve for it other than micromanaging the race and stops and I am not sure fans want that either.
The conundrum left Tombazi telling Autosport:
“First of all, we don’t think that what we saw this year is necessarily the thing to repeat or the thing to aim for. There is an issue to be addressed,” he explained.
“At the moment the 2026 rules still include the two pitstops for Monaco, but we are in August and Monaco is in June next year.
“Clearly, the request to the teams is to be creative and propositive. We at the FIA are not sold on any particular solution yet. If there are proposals that will make it better, then we will definitely support them.
“This is one of the topics that will be discussed with the Sporting Advisory Committee and the F1 Commission in the next few meetings.”
So it seems they are open to suggestions from teams as to how to “spice up the show” without it reducing itself to… well, A SHOW!
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“Fix your bloody track!” To suggest ‘Exploited the rule’ suggests that not ALL rules are exploited… but they are. Personally I still think that on a dry race, all 3 compounds must be used a minimum of 5 laps. For all races. But the problem with Monaco is Monaco. We all know that. And deep down… is there really a way to fix it? Could they take out the Nouvelle Chicane for a DRS…sorry….active aero zone? Is there an additional loop they could add to the circuit? Honestly all this twiddling is doing is breaking and already broken track. Monaco… Read more »
There is a short loop, remember the first year Formula E raced there?
Holding the Monaco GP in Malaysia on the Sepang circuit would improve things considerably but if they’re stuck on having it in monaco for a lot of sleazy rich guys and instagram stars to not watch they can go ahead and have 2 stops for all i care the race is hopeless. If i want to be ‘propositive’ i think they should have it in smaller identical cars so we can see some action and who the good drivers really are. F3 cars or something.
LOL