F1 champion reveals ‘spicy’ first lap pit strategy at Monaco Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button at the 2019 British GP — Photo: © IMAGO

Monaco Grand Prix

F1 champion reveals ‘spicy’ first lap pit strategy at Monaco Grand Prix

The Monaco Grand Prix has been given a unique rule change

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Friday 23 May 2025 20:02 Updated: 20:30

Formula 1 champion Jenson Button has suggested that lap one at the Monaco Grand Prix could provide spicy strategy decisions from the 20 drivers out on track in Sunday's race.

The 2025 Monaco GP will be a mandatory two-stop race in a bid to introduce more entertainment this year after the drivers pitted on lap one in 2024 and the top 10 finished in the exact same order they started.

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Speaking on Sky Sports F1 to Ted Kravitz and Natalie Pinkham, 2009 world champion Button claimed that some drivers will take their first pit stop on the first lap, which he stated could spice up the race.

"You still will have people stopping on lap one to do their first pit stop and joining the back of the train. But it definitely spices it up and it leaves it open to different strategies," he said.

Button also revealed he was a fan of the new strategy with Pinkham concurring, although Kravitz was less convinced, labelling the mandatory two-stop a ‘gimmick’.

Lewis Hamilton is also in support of the change for the Monaco GP, and has even teased that it was 'his idea' all along to introduce a mandatory two-stop to the race - but only time will tell if the change makes Monaco more entertaining.

How will F1’s mandatory two-stop work?

F1 drivers must use at least three different sets of tyres over the mandatory two-stop race, and if a driver or a team breaches these new rules they could be slammed with a penalty.

Article 30.5 of the Sporting Regulations has been updated to reference the mandatory tyre rule, and details the severe penalty for failing to stop twice.

“Unless the race is suspended and cannot be restarted, failure to comply with these requirements will result in the disqualification of the relevant driver from the race results,” reads the section.

“For the race in Monaco, if the race is suspended and cannot be restarted, 30 seconds will be added to the elapsed time of any driver who did not, when required to do so, use at least two specifications of dry-weather tyre during the race, or who did not use at least three sets of tyres of any specification during the race.

“Furthermore, an additional 30 seconds will be added to the elapsed time of any driver who used only one set of tyres of any specification during the race.”

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Red Bull Max Verstappen Monaco Grand Prix Sky Sports F1 Jenson Button Natalie Pinkham