Stella and Vasseur are unsure how two-stop strategy might work in Monaco in case of wet or SC conditions
Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur and McLaren team principal Andrea Stella welcome the introduction of the mandatory two-stop strategy at this weekend's Monaco Grand Prix, albeit they are unsure how the rule would work in case of damp conditions or a safety car interruption.
This weekend will see an important change to the regulations, specifically for this event only. During the Monte Carlo 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."
Although today's race is expected to take place in dry conditions, McLaren team boss Andrea Stella suggested that the introduction of the mandatory two-stop strategy would cause "awkward situations" in damp conditions.
“In itself, I think it’s interesting. After the race we had last year, a little bit of change is an interesting aspect. I welcome this kind of changes.”
“I think it will be more tricky in wet conditions. So for dry conditions, I think it’s just interesting. For wet, could create some situations that may be a little awkward, but we look forward to it.”
Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur questioned the impact of a mandatory two-stop strategy, suggesting that a possible safety car interruption would cause hectic situations in the pit lane due to Monaco’s famously tight pit lane.
“That strategy in Monaco, it’s very difficult, because it’s also driven by the safety car, and so it would be two times more difficult for this.”
“The downside could also be that if you have an early safety car, that I think everybody will jump into the pit lane, and the pit lane is very narrow. It can be an issue.
“But let’s do Monaco like this. I think we were clever enough to do the experimentation, and we’ll see after Monaco what we can do and where we can improve.”
