Why F1 stars will pit after ONE LAP at Monaco Grand Prix

Verstappen makes a pit stop — Photo: © IMAGO

Monaco Grand Prix

Why F1 stars will pit after ONE LAP at Monaco Grand Prix

F1 will have a new rule on show in Monaco

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Sunday 25 May 2025 08:42

If you see Formula 1 drivers scurrying into the pits this weekend after just one lap, don't be concerned thinking your favourite star has picked up an early problem.

It could be down to a new rule implemented by the FIA at this weekend's Monaco Grand Prix designed to spice up racing around a circuit at which qualifying is normally a more thrilling spectacle than the race.

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F1 drivers will have to pit at least twice during Sunday's race, as part of a new mandatory rule brought in specifically for the race around the streets of Monte Carlos.

It's in response to last year's Monaco GP, which was a bit of a dead rubber, as Sergio Perez's lap one crash caused a red flag, under which all of the front runners changed their tyres and went to the end of the race on the second set, minimising the strategic battle at a track where overtaking chances are also vastly diminished.

While the story behind 2024's race was enthralling - Charles Leclerc claiming an emotional victory at his home race - the actual race was not a classic.

The new rules will bring in extra jeopardy for all teams and drivers, and make the possibility of an undercut more promising, thus keeping strategists and drivers alike busy throughout the full race distance.

Why are F1 drivers pitting after one lap?

However, one way in which teams may opt to counteract the new rule brought in by the FIA would be to pit on lap one of the race, when the field is bunched up.

This would allow a driver to drop right to the back of the pack, out of harm's way, and gradually catch the tail at a much faster rate than if they were stuck in seventh behind six other cars.

It would be a huge gamble, because if a safety car were to be called on lap two or three, the drivers who decided to pit on lap one would likely lose out massively, and it could ruin their race.

However, if no safety car were to come in the opening few laps, by the time other cars started making their first pit stops, the drivers who had made the early gamble could benefit hugely, and leapfrog a number of their rivals in what would be the earliest of undercuts.

This strategy would also require excellent tyre management skills, but drivers showed last year how long they are able to make a hard tyre last around the streets of Monaco.

During FP1 at the Monaco GP, Jenson Button revealed live on air on Sky Sports F1 that the new rule would not stop drivers from making an early stop: "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."

Lewis Hamilton FIA Formula 1 Charles Leclerc Sergio Perez Monaco Grand Prix