After three consecutive Formula 1 grands prix ended up being straightforward one-stops, a mooted plan for mandatory two-stop strategies is failing to get traction.
The Baku, Singapore and Austin races lacked strategic variety, hence the proposal was brought up in the Mexico Grand Prix drivers’ briefing and within the Sporting Advisory Committee; it is also on the F1 Commission’s agenda.
However, the three team principals who took part in Friday’s FIA press conference at the Brazilian Grand Prix have expressed major reservations about the idea.
“Everyone likes two stops or more, but we have to be careful,” Racing Bulls’ Alan Permane warned. “One of the things that makes a two-stop race tricky is when the tyres aren’t really suited for two stops. So you need to have tyres that demand the two-stop race. If you force a two-stop, you can end up with everyone doing the same strategy and actually have the opposite effect.
“And don't forget, we've seen plenty of races with one guy on a one-stop and one guy on a two-stop, and then the guy on a one-stop being chased down by the two-stop – but that will obviously disappear. So I think we need to think very carefully. And we are. And I'm sure the F1 Commission will debate it, and I'm sure we'll come to the right answer.”
“I agree with Alan,” McLaren’s Andrea Stella concurred. “The tyres remain the fundamental factor to have some variability in the race. And in particular, whenever there's some degradation, I think we can see overtaking and pit stops.”
James Vowles added that mandating a specific strategy, given the teams’ expertise, meant all of them would come up with the same plan.
“My biggest worry would be that we end up, all of us, doing the same strategy to within a lap of each other because you're forced that way because of the two stops,” the Williams boss said. “So, to the key point, let's get the key foundations right, which is tyre degradation and the gaps between the tyres.
“And I don't mind a forced rule then that puts us in that circumstance, but I have a worry that immediately where we are now – I think you'll get less variability in next year's races, and that concerns me.”
What does Pirelli think about it? Last week, Pirelli’s motorsport director Mario Isola was positive, telling Autosport: “What we are doing is try to make something good for the show. And I believe that a two-stop is better for the show because you have more unpredictability.”
However, Pirelli’s F1 chief engineer Simone Berra disagreed on Friday, bringing up the same arguments as the likes of Permane and Vowles: “I'm not personally in favour of the two-stops imposed.
“I'm not sure that two-stops will improve the show in general. I know that some of the team principals spoke today, and basically all of them were not really in favour of it. I agree with them.
“The risk is that the more rules you put on the table, then the more, let's say, similar situation you have in terms of strategies. So basically all the teams will do the same.
“In general it's an additional constraint, and in this case I don't think you end up with a better show and better races, honestly.
“In my opinion, we have seen beautiful races when it was not clear if it was a one-stop or a two-stop, and then some drivers went for a one-stop, some others went for a two-stop, and they ended up with a similar total race time at the end of the race. It didn't happen so often in the last races, let's say, but this is the situation I think where we should go. And the point is that probably how much easier it is to overtake the car in front [for the driver on a two-stop].
“So I agree, also again reading some of the comments from today, that probably we have to wait for the 2026 regulation to understand how it is much easier compared to now, to overtake, and then to make proper decisions to improve the show for the sport.”
Berra is referring to Stella’s stance that, based on the tremendous overhaul in technical rules for 2026, blindly making changes now would be counterproductive.
“For 2026 we have so much change going on, and we should observe also what kind of racing we are going to have before we change the technical side and also the rules of the game,” McLaren’s team boss said. “So, I would invoke a little bit of prudence from this point of view.
“Let's observe what happens in 2026, and then we can adapt from a sporting point of view to make sure that the entertainment and the racing is at the right level.”
Additional reporting by Federico Faturos
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