What does Pirelli expects from the mandatory two-stop strategy at the Monte Carlo Grand Prix?

Following its debut at last weekend's Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, the C6 compound will make an appearance at Monte Carlo as Formula One's sole tyre manufacturer Pirelli is set to bring its three softest compounds to the Principality.

The Monaco Grand Prix is one of the most iconic and prestigious events on the Formula 1 calendar, not just because of its long history, but also because of the mystique that surrounds it. It was first held in 1929, making it one of the sport’s oldest races and it is also part of what’s known as motor racing’s Triple Crown, along with the Le Mans 24 Hours and the Indianapolis 500 Miles.

Narrow streets, tight turns, steep climbs and descents and the famous tunnel that leads onto the harbour are some of the defining characteristics that make Monaco a track like no other. It’s a place where precision is more important than power, with virtually no room for mistakes.

From a technical point of view, it is a very complicated race: the cars run with maximum aero downforce and with very limited overtaking opportunities, qualifying generally plays a key role in determining the winner.

For a second consecutive race, Pirelli has selected the three softest compounds from the 2025 range. As in Imola last week, the C4 will be the Hard, the C5 the Medium and the C6 the Soft, with the first two being the mandatory compounds for the race.

This weekend will see an important change to the regulations, specifically for this event only. During the race, two pit stops will be mandatory.

The aim of the FIA and F1 is to inject more excitement into a race that has often been very linear and predictable, as was very much the case last year.

As part of this rule change, each driver will also be allocated an additional set of Full Wets, on top of the usual two, so that the two-stop rule can be applied even if conditions require the use of extreme wet tyres.

As for its expectation for this weekend, Pirelli noted: "It will be interesting to see how this affects teams’ race strategies. For example, with no clear pit-stop windows, it could present opportunities for drivers starting from further back to move up the order by making the most of running in clean air.

"Having two stops should also rule out concerns about tyre degradation, even if it is in any case very low at this track. It could even lead to the use of the Soft compound, especially for those making a late second stop or in the case of a Safety Car period in the closing stages."

As for last year's Monaco Grand Prix, only six drivers made an actual in-race pit stop. That was because the race was red flagged on the opening lap so that all the drivers still in the race were able to immediately adhere to the rule that two different compounds must be used, with the nine who started on the Medium switching to Hard and the remaining 11 doing the opposite.

After the restart, only six drivers actually pitted under racing conditions. Of these, Guanyu Zhou opted for Softs but clearly gained no performance advantage as he was still last.