F1 and FIA discussing surprise rule change for 2026

Mario Isola, motorsport director of F1 tire manufacturer Pirelli, has revealed that talks have been held over a potential rule change in the sport.

The change would introduce more races in which teams are obliged to make at least two pit stops, much like this year's race in Monaco.

While it did provide more pit lane action in the race, it didn't necessarily improve the spectacle at a track where it's often said the race result is decided on Saturday via qualifying.

Despite this, it's been confirmed that the 2026 Monaco GP will also be a mandatory two-stop race and now, according to Isola, there could be more of those races to come.

He's suggested that the FIA and F1 owner Liberty Media have been open to the idea of making more races two-stop events, and that discussions have been taking place.

"We had a chat with the other stakeholders, with the FIA, F1, and the teams, and said, okay, if we select these three compounds for event A, B, C, D, E, what is the predicted strategy for you? We asked the teams to make those simulations and come back to us – not making this public, but only providing the information to us.

"What we realised is that the majority of the teams were converging on the same strategy, because you have a soft that is able to run five laps, a medium that is good for 20 laps, and a hard that can go longer. They were basically replicating the same strategy. So, when you put more constraints, the risk is that everyone is going in the same direction."

Would mandatory two-stop races improve entertainment?

Motorsport.com have also reported that discussions on these potential changes will take place at the next meeting of the F1 commission too.

As Isola said, the forcing of a two-stop strategy would lead to less variation in strategy, with teams more likely to copy each other and take the 'safe' option, while letting their pace on track do the talking.

Races in which some teams try different things often provide the most intrigue, particularly in the middle stage of the race when there might not be too many on-track overtaking manoeuvres happening.

Isola used an example of Charles Leclerc's stunning victory at the 2024 Italian Grand Prix, when he and Ferrari opted for a bold one-stop strategy at their home race.

"The best races are the ones in which the two-stop has an advantage, but someone brave can still try a different strategy," Isola added. "We had a good example of that in Monza last year, when Charles [Leclerc] was able to win on one stop and others were on two stops.

"It was like that in Spa with George as well, but unfortunately, this doesn't happen every time."

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