The Formula 1 Commission has agreed to introduce special rules for the Monaco Grand Prix requiring drivers to make more pit stops.
The change is being introduced after most drivers were able to complete last year’s race without pitting. The race was red-flagged during the first lap, at which point most drivers completed their mandatory switch to a different tyre compound, removing the need to make a pit stop.A statement issued by the FIA said the change is being made “with the aim of promoting better racing at the Monaco Grand Prix.”
“The commission agreed to increase the number of mandatory pit stops in the race,” it said. “These proposals will be further discussed by the Sporting Advisory Committee in the coming weeks.”
The Monaco Grand Prix is already subject to certain unique regulations within the FIA rule book. While every other race must run to a distance of at least 305 kilometres, the Monaco race is only 260km.
Other changes to the 2025 regulations were agreed by the F1 Commission, all of which are subject to the approval of the FIA’s World Motor Sport Council.
The sport’s governing body will introduce tougher deflection tests for wings to prevent teams devising constructions which flex at high speeds. The tests for rear wings will be imposed from the beginning of the season, while new front wing tests will arrive at the Spanish Grand Prix in June, the season’s ninth round.
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The commission also agreed to remove the limitations on the number of gearboxes teams may use during a season. “The reliability of current designs renders this restriction obsolete,” the FIA noted.
Following the confusion at the beginning of last year’s Brazilian Grand Prix, the rules on starting procedures for races and grands prix have been revised and clarified. Further revisions were also agreed to the new rules requiring teams to use driver cooling systems in certain weather conditions.
More changes to F1’s extensive new regulations for the 2026 season were also discussed. “The commission highlighted the contribution of all teams and power unit manufacturers in refining aerodynamic performance and ensuring more efficient energy management for the next generation Formula 1 cars,” said the FIA.
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oweng (@oweng)
18th February 2025, 16:38
Couldn’t they just change the rule to say that a change of tyres under a red flag in any race doesn’t qualify as using 2 compounds?
Dkor (@dkor)
18th February 2025, 16:51
Right. Just a rule that says that if you change tyres under red flag conditions, it must be to a tyre of the same compound. That would do it.
oweng (@oweng)
18th February 2025, 17:13
Or a different one, it just wouldn’t satisfy the rule so they’d have to pit again under racing conditions to put another set on.
Jere (@jerejj)
18th February 2025, 17:25
@oweng @dkor
I wouldn’t necessarily mind the former aspect but the latter is easier said than done, depending on what sets are left for the race after all practice & qualifying running.
oweng (@oweng)
18th February 2025, 18:38
If they don’t have any other new tyres then they would have the option to not change tyres. Or put on some old ones.
BasCB (@bascb)
18th February 2025, 18:54
I think you would end up having to come up with quite a few wordings to make it work oweng, remember, the rule about changing the set is there for safety reasons – weather related, but certainly also to avoid card driving on with tyres that are full of cuts from debris. We WANT them to change tyres if there is any indication they might be having an issue.
You would probably have to include some time penalties or changing the order in the pitlane etc. making it easier said than done, as @jerejj mentions.
Not sure i like this solution, but I guess with how much Monaco is different anyway, I guess we’ll just have to see how it pans out.
oweng (@oweng)
18th February 2025, 19:08
They should have available tyres if there are safety issues so can change them. It just wouldn’t count toward the mandatory rule. Doesn’t something similar happen in F2 where you can’t satisfy the mandatory tyre change under a safety car? I don’t know the rule exactly but presumably if they had a puncture they could change tyres for safety but would then have to pit again to change for the rule?
Alianora La Canta (@alianora-la-canta)
18th February 2025, 19:35
@oweng The facts that Monaco is the lowest-wear track on the grid, as well as the shortest race by distance, are well-known and remain so. Any team that made it to Q3 and also has spare tyres of the same compound for the race didn’t plan its qualifying properly.
jsw11984 (@jarred-walmsley)
18th February 2025, 20:12
Would you though?
I think a simple additional clause in the tyre change rule is all you need, something like the below
a) Drivers must complete a pitstop during green or yellow flag conditions whereupon they must fit a set of tyres that is of a different compound to the set fitted to the car at the start of the race.
Jere (@jerejj)
19th February 2025, 7:21
@bascb Spot-on, not to mention precisely defining the safety issue aspect can be difficult & would therefore risk opening a can of worms.
Jeanrien (@jeanrien)
18th February 2025, 22:32
F1 has the technology to reorder the cars in case of change of tires under red flag. Teams are free to change tires but the car is positioned with +20sec delta (adjusted per track) from the last ranking prior to the race being naturalised.
It would still be the safest and most fair option. And I’m surprised it doesn’t get named more often. Too simple and too fair for being F1?
Alianora La Canta (@alianora-la-canta)
19th February 2025, 17:18
@jeanrien It would be incompatible with F1’s preference for a standing restart and strong dislike of aggregate times.
The former is because of a preference for restarts to be like initial starts rather than the more Indycar/sportscar-esque rolling version (especially since some F1 drivers are apt to get tangled if a rolling restart is done any way other than as a procession).
The latter dates back to 1994, where some casual viewers had trouble keeping track of the implications of the aggregate battle, despite the best efforts of a generation of commentators who knew how to explain it in an accessible and exciting way.
Dave The Drummer (@davethedrummer)
19th February 2025, 9:32
Easier to say no tyre changes during red flags. Then make Monaco two mandatory regular stops.
Alianora La Canta (@alianora-la-canta)
19th February 2025, 17:19
@davethedrummer Also much more dangerous. The whole point of allowing tyre changes under red was because before that rule was introduced, cars were being sent on their way with damage, potentially including slow punctures, causing serious problems on restarts.
M2X
20th February 2025, 11:49
No, the proposed multiple tyre stops at Monaco is far easier than no red flag tyre changes.
Just imagine a crash where the track is covered in carbon debris and almost every car has driven through that.
The teams, drivers and Pirelli do not want to run the risks of punctures and blowouts at the restart or subsequent laps.
It’s dangerous for the driver and a very bad marketing for Pirelli.
David (@nvherman)
19th February 2025, 10:48
@oweng The rule used to be this, and was changed to the current variant after Canada 2011 (see Button’s 5 pit stops, being in last place with about 12 laps to go (IIRC), yet still winning).
Sgt Chevski
18th February 2025, 16:42
Mandatory 2 stops should just be a thing for all races, I guess with George’s win (sort of) at Spa it showed the brilliance of both strategies, but 1 stop races can always be a bit dull
Tony Mansell (@tonymansell)
18th February 2025, 17:51
Agreed. When they did a mandatory 3 stops was it, due to excess tyre wear, everyone was at full chat for each stint. Its not a silver bullet but id just run it a few times to see if the software boys back at base could ruin that element of jeopardy or it was a longer term solve
Alianora La Canta (@alianora-la-canta)
18th February 2025, 19:36
@tonymansell They certainly can. Anything that is a set rule for a significant length of time can be coded into software and have the predictability built back in that way.
David B
18th February 2025, 17:59
Yep. I’ve been saying this for years. More pit stops almost always results in better races which is helped further by having different strategies. My enthusiasm drops whenever they predict a one stop race.
SteveP
18th February 2025, 18:51
Every 10 laps, maybe?
Coventry Climax
18th February 2025, 21:48
How on earth can you still have different strategies when there’s multiple pitstops as mandatory?
The more pitstops required, the less space inbetween to actually still make a difference.
Sounds more like you want to punish drivers with the skill of taking care of their tyres.
We’ve already gotten rid of drivers with the skills of steering with no powersteering, the skill of manually shifting gears flawlessly and by ear, the skill of planning their own race with no other aids than pitwall boards, etc etc.
How dull can you go? Have an AI operated robot for a driver?
mmertens (@mmertens)
19th February 2025, 1:53
Then we go back to early 2000s, where with refueling we had 3 stops all the time, with races being drove flat out, but without meaningful overtaking for most of the race. It was better to undercut or overcut depending on the track. More pits tops normally detract from actual race, it becomes more of an exercise of hot lapping and less actual racing. With teams running all possible variables in the background to determine optimal strategy, I think this will detract more the meaning of a Grand Prix, where driver is also supposed to take care of the car, tires, and manage pace, whilst having to overtake for track position more often than in the early 2000s. Of course we have DRS…which detracts from racing. But more pit stops is not the solution in my opinion.
Seppo (@helava)
18th February 2025, 16:52
“More pitstops” != “better racing”.
It *could* result in better racing if and only if strategy around the pitstops combined with something you could do on track would actually make a difference. That is, if the strategy forces a driver to behave differently on track, that’d be great. But given Monaco’s biggest problem is that once you’re in a train there’s *nothing you can do differently*, forcing people to pit more might make for some interesting strategic decisions, but the actual *racing* will be just as mindbendingly dull as it’s been for the last decade.
Want a solution to actually make *racing* interesting?
No wings.
Just for Monaco. But no front or rear wing. Ruin the car’s downforce & aero grip, and now trying to make it to the finish is a challenge, and because it’s so much harder to drive, passing on track is easier, plus you can’t accidentally razor someone’s tires with protruding wings, so passing is less risky. And way more risky.
It’d be exciting!
Gusm.ai
18th February 2025, 17:18
Step 1: more pitstops
Step 2: ???
Step 3: better racing
Jere (@jerejj)
18th February 2025, 17:24
@helava I like your no wings suggestion & I’d also add Albon’s suggestion of only bringing the softest compound to Monaco.
Anyway, you & everyone pointing out the same thing are spot-on that the pit stop amount has zero impact on the racing quality or overtaking, so a totally useless extended requirement.
pcxmac (@pcxmac)
18th February 2025, 23:14
yeah, but no wings would require the chassis and suspension guys to rethink their cars.
The Monaco GP should be extended or they should fuel restrict it. I think. Like this GP you get this much fuel. Heck, bring back refueling if you need more stops.
But the odds of critical minds ‘fixing’ F1 these days is pretty darn close to nigh. The FIA will fine people who think critically or speak their minds.
Khürt Williams (@khurtwilliams)
18th February 2025, 17:00
I get that F1 wants to spice things up at Monaco, but forcing extra pit stops feels like a band-aid fix. The real issue is the track itself—overtaking is nearly impossible, and no amount of mandatory stops will change that. Instead of making strategy more interesting, this could just add unnecessary complications without actually improving the racing.
Tony Mansell (@tonymansell)
18th February 2025, 17:52
And there is no fix to Monaco. so a band aid is better than nothing surely?
MarkWebber (@markwebber)
18th February 2025, 18:02
Monaco has been there for 70 years, the real problem is the cars but they won’t do anything about it, leaving us with silly “fixes”
M2X
20th February 2025, 11:52
@Markwebber
Exactly.
They allowed the technical regulations to produce cars that can no longer run on the available tracks and then want to change the tracks rather than the cars.
Its mind-boggling how illogical that line of thinking is.
Jungle
19th February 2025, 12:08
Just rip the band aid right off. Get rid of the chicane outside of the tunnel..
PeterG
18th February 2025, 17:13
Mandatory pit stops have never worked to make the on track racing better.
I guess if you like watching cars passing in the pits it’s great but the focus should be on the track and encouraging drivers to have a go on the track.
Also it’s interesting that at Monaco the highest number of on track passes in a dry race always happend in the days where you never pitted unless you had a problem. And the cars of 1994-1997 were the same size with the cars of 1998-2016 been narrower yet as soon as pit stops became a thing at Monaco overtaking declined.
PeterG
18th February 2025, 17:17
That last sentence is a reference to the introduction of refueling in 1994 which is what introduced pit stops to Monaco.
Prior to 1994 outside of a car issue or changeable weather Monaco was always a no stop race and with overtaking having to happen on track we always saw drivers having a go and that no stop period was when we did see overtaking at Monaco because drivers couldn’t just hold back and wait for pit stops and over or undercuts.
Philip Roden
18th February 2025, 17:17
4 mandatory pitstops at Monaco and you can only use softest tyre – see what happens with that.
Jere (@jerejj)
18th February 2025, 17:21
Seriously, just because of one ‘isolated’ race with an opening lap suspension, which hadn’t happened even once before in Monaco, & one GP shouldn’t be treated differently from all the others in any case.
Yes, dry Monaco GPs tend to be very processional under normal circumstances, but nothing still justifies different strategy-related requirements.
FIA almost always makes knee-jerk reaction changes over any given isolated situation, which isn’t the same as a recurring occurrence by any means.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
18th February 2025, 17:34
Considering how difficult overtaking is at monaco + that incident I don’t think it’s a bad idea to put some additional pit stop to try and make something happen, monaco has always been about strategy, and more pit stops allow for more strategic opportunities.
Tony Mansell (@tonymansell)
18th February 2025, 17:53
hardly ‘kneejerk’ , they are just saying you need to stop once. For such a dynamic sport some fans sure are conservative
Alianora La Canta (@alianora-la-canta)
18th February 2025, 19:42
@tonymansell The F1 Commission forgot that the risk also exists at other venues. If their reaction is not knee-jerk, it is certainly ill-thought-out.
Simon
18th February 2025, 17:52
So a stupid band aid rule (in the interests of entertainment rather than racing) to try and mitigate an already dumb rule (free tyre changes during red flags). I’d tell the F1 commission where to stick it, but can’t even do that these days.
Jere (@jerejj)
19th February 2025, 7:24
Free tyre changing during red-flaggings isn’t dumb & is predominantly to avoid unnecessarily excessive risks.
MarkWebber (@markwebber)
19th February 2025, 14:50
Why would anyone be against teams taking risks?
Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
18th February 2025, 18:12
That’s not going to work at all.
Bullfrog (@bullfrog)
18th February 2025, 18:38
What if there are two red flags? They’ll all change their tyres again. Duh!
Pitstops aren’t racing. They’re the opposite of racing. An excuse not to race.
PeteB (@peteb)
18th February 2025, 18:52
If you’re starting at the back, surely you pit on the first lap and hope to get lucky with a SC? There wilp be some really weird strategy if they bring this rule in. Could be interesting but I don’t think it’s a good idea.
Jon
18th February 2025, 19:47
Maybe they could get there team mate to crash at correct time after
Alianora La Canta (@alianora-la-canta)
18th February 2025, 19:40
The biggest problem with the race at Monaco last year is that the driver with the best record of completing overtakes at Monaco of the last few years… didn’t get the chance to try any.
Monaco is not the only race at risk of a no-green-flag-stop race, but it is the easiest to make work. A better fix would have been to not limit it to Monaco, but simply say (as several people in this post already have) that pit stops under red flags don’t count as the mandatory stop. This has the additional bonus of encouraging the use of softer compounds in situations where the amount of race remaining suits such a plan. Drivers seem to have a better time racing each other when they’re all on similar-age softs than when they are on similar-age hards.
Leroy (@g-funk)
18th February 2025, 20:49
If we’re going to make special rules for Monaco, let’s go all in on the specialness. Let’s have special cars just for Monaco. And I don’t mean just special wings and special steering racks. I mean shrink the cars down a bathtub with an engine. Make this a true one-off race.
Jere (@jerejj)
19th February 2025, 7:26
Great idea
Sihrtogg (@sihrtogg)
24th February 2025, 15:20
Yep one-off race, allow teams and driver outside of F1 to run as well. Revamp qualifying as well: every car one lap each, drivers with best training times get to run last i.e. pick their start number first. But what if it starts raining? Tough luck, deal with it. No championship points on the line anyway.
Dex
18th February 2025, 21:24
I have a better one. There should be a rule which would state that every driver participating in the Monaco GP should overtake and be overtaken, on track, at least once, each. Overtakes during first two (actual racing) laps don’t count.
This should do the trick.
Alianora La Canta (@alianora-la-canta)
19th February 2025, 17:22
Or not, given that the problem is that most of them have trouble executing an overtake in those circumstances. Some of them can, but it would be especially unfair on the leader to be denied victory because the driver in P2 couldn’t make a clean overtake work.
Maciek (@maciek)
19th February 2025, 2:36
I’ve got another one – drivers have to change their own tires. But seriously, if you want better racing at Monaco, get back to smaller cars.
Jere (@jerejj)
19th February 2025, 7:25
Except smaller cars didn’t make racing quality any better in the distant past.
Richard
19th February 2025, 12:15
The Monaco GP should be treated as a mandatory non points All-Star like weekend with larger prize money where they can experiment with rules. As a fan of racing it’s the worst race all year in F1. I’m not even opposed to using identical cheaper cars prepared by a 3rd party so we can see how the drivers fare against each other when equipment is taken out of the equation as a different option.
IQ0
19th February 2025, 13:35
I think they should choose a real race track. Most street circuits are boring. Where does this nonsense end?
Sergey Martyn
19th February 2025, 15:23
Looks like Liberty Media hired Biden as a creative consultant…
TheNewNo2
20th February 2025, 9:40
If the issue is drivers can complete the race without needing to pit, why not remove the exception to make the race shorter? More laps = more tyre use.