2025 Monaco Grand Prix - Monte Carlo, May 23 - 25

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No top 10 teammate will hold up the field and screw himself.

I think there can be scenarios were it makes sense, for example in case of an early safety car.

Normally everyone (or every top team, at least) would pit twice instantly then, so a backmarker can get to the front with both cars by only pitting once.

edit: but that's nothing new, of course. They could have done the same with the old rules, just with one stop less.

[langedweil]

Bet they ran 10 billion simulations .. to still
not find a proper solution

[AhmerBaig]

It would actually be amazing if someone won by coming in twice during the same safety car phase. One SC 2x pits, rule has been fulfilled.

[michl420]

Bet they ran 10 billion simulations .. to still
not find a proper solution

That´s why we love racing. Sometimes a experienced person can make better decisions than a computer.

[Seanspeed]

Let's be real, he's been miles off Verstappen's pace in the RB21 still. It's sad when even on a 'positive' weekend, we're talking about whether he can scrape into Q3 while his teammate is fighting for pole and winning races.

In no other world would anybody consider this anything but absolute embarrassment and awful.

Not even saying Tsunoda is trash or anything, not by any means. Cuz I also thought Perez was very unfairly maligned by fans, cuz we knew from many years prior that Perez was a quality driver. But I think 2nd driver performance in that RB21 is gonna be one of the bigger indicators whether the car is really making meaningful steps forward or whether Verstappen just continues to GOAT his way into results with it anyways.

I desperately need to see a driver of real established top pedigree and adaptability alongside Verstappen. I would like to hear what they say about the car etc

Albon's comments about his time at red bull have greater weight now that he has been measured against the yardstick of Sainz

high praise from George Russel (of all people) :

It was overtake of the year, definitely, without a doubt, it was the best overtake I have seen in a hell of a long time, to be honest. I thought my race start in Barcelona [2024, where he took the lead from fourth on the grid] was pretty good but, yeah, his one was pretty spectacular. So it was a bit frustrating from my perspective, when I made a really good start and there was nowhere to go. I felt at that point my only hope was to fight with Max in that race – how wrong we were – just to see him zoom around Oscar like, bugger.
But that's why he's one of the best ever, Max – you can't take that away from him. Even with our personal relationship, or anything that happened in the past, you still have respect for what he does on the race track. That was an amazing move and he had an amazing weekend. The car was super quick and I think they surprised everyone.

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/formula- ... i-35272765

That overtake had me literally stood up from the couch saying "Whaaat?".

Good on George for recognizing it too, because he had genuine reason to be frustrated as he had the best start but just got unluckily boxed in.

The words probably echo what many of us have to accept nowadays - it doesn't matter whether you like him or not, what Max is(and has been) doing is off-the-charts incredible.

And just for posterity, I also think Russell will end his career with at least one WDC to his name. Very underrated.

[FittingMechanics]

It would actually be amazing if someone won by coming in twice during the same safety car phase. One SC 2x pits, rule has been fulfilled.

I think a smart bet would be to do two pitstops at the start of the race.

[Sphere3758]

It would actually be amazing if someone won by coming in twice during the same safety car phase. One SC 2x pits, rule has been fulfilled.

I think a smart bet would be to do two pitstops at the start of the race.

I believe that the moment someone does their first pitstop, the race leader will essentially stop managing to make sure that the gap doesnt narrow too much. Dont think it will be as straightforward as two pitstops at the start

[basti313]

It would actually be amazing if someone won by coming in twice during the same safety car phase. One SC 2x pits, rule has been fulfilled.

I think a smart bet would be to do two pitstops at the start of the race.

To finish last?
How are you faster than the front on similarly old tires?

No top 10 teammate will hold up the field and screw himself.

I think there can be scenarios were it makes sense, for example in case of an early safety car.

Normally everyone (or every top team, at least) would pit twice instantly then, so a backmarker can get to the front with both cars by only pitting once.

edit: but that's nothing new, of course. They could have done the same with the old rules, just with one stop less.

I need to clarify my statement a bit more: I started the point before with "no safety car". This was a statement on a normal race start, no SC, no red flag. Everyone will just go full push or at least the pace of those who start to pit. Anyone holding up or going slower will just loose.

For the SC I agree, on a SC most backfield teams will pit twice. Top 10 can not really afford it.

[FittingMechanics]

It would actually be amazing if someone won by coming in twice during the same safety car phase. One SC 2x pits, rule has been fulfilled.

I think a smart bet would be to do two pitstops at the start of the race.

To finish last?
How are you faster than the front on similarly old tires?

It's a gamble. If there is a safety car and everyone pits, you will cycle forward and others will need to do another stop. Also by dropping 40-50 seconds behind the pack you are in clear air.

If I was a midfield/backmarker I would gamble with one car.

[SB15]

Why? You have a car that qualifies well and a guy who seems to constantly deliver.
At times it goes backwards during the race, but for Monaco it's a good thing to have.

No, just no!

The W16 is not good in slow speed corners in comparison with the Ferrari and Mclaren. And in the 3rd sector, the tyres may not hold up in that sector.

Look I know Merc has been good in qualifying with Russell and that’s great. But qualifying well doesn’t mean you produce the adequate results when it matters and since it’s a 2 stop race, race pace is going to matter a lot more than you can determine.

Mate, what season have you been watching ? Ferrari's biggest strength in ground effect era, upto and including 2024, was slow corners and traction at exit. They went chasing after high speed corners and now their car is the worst of the top four teams, in slow corners. That doesn't mean LeClerc won't be able to 'hustle' his car to a front/second row Quali result. But the SF25 has definitely lost the biggest ace Ferrari had up it's sleeve from 2022.

You were saying?

[basti313]

I think a smart bet would be to do two pitstops at the start of the race.

To finish last?
How are you faster than the front on similarly old tires?

It's a gamble.

Rather suicide.

If there is a safety car and everyone pits, you will cycle forward and others will need to do another stop.

No, because you are 40-50sec back and get a 10sec pitstop under SC.
The only chance that makes this work is if this is a one SC race, that SC does come before the first stops, but not too early. That means you could do the second stop and go to the end.
But I fear this will still not work, as someone who wants to go to the end can not squeeze out the tires to stay in the pit window. And this car is still at the back of the grid, so quickly loosing the 30sec contact to the top 10.

Also by dropping 40-50 seconds behind the pack you are in clear air.

Not if the gamble makes at least some sense. Then more than one car will do it...

If I was a midfield/backmarker I would gamble with one car.

Still the question is what this backmarker will win if he is just a slow backmarker. I would still stay out for at least 5 laps to get at least some tire advantage. Otherwise these cars will just drop to no mans land.
For a midfield top 10 contender the gamble is too poor to really do it.

[SirBastianVettel]

I'm predicting an Albon victory. The "top" teams will be too busy covering eachother and will forget about Alex. I put a whole Euro on it.

[bananapeel23]

The most likely thing to happen is that if a team gets 1-2 in quali. they will take turns backing the entire field up so they van pit and still come out p1, then swap positions and let the other teammate build a 20 second gap, then pit and come out in p1. Repeat that two times and you get a 1-2 finish.

[damo46]

The most likely thing to happen is that if a team gets 1-2 in quali. they will take turns backing the entire field up so they van pit and still come out p1, then swap positions and let the other teammate build a 20 second gap, then pit and come out in p1. Repeat that two times and you get a 1-2 finish.

How long do you think the race is?

[wickedz50]

Even the AI model on strategy before the race will fail, I think this week HI strategy will win and there is no safe bet at the moment. Everything will have to be at that moment of time during the race.