Two-pitstop rule will “destroy” F1 Qatar GP race

Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu says the two-pitstop rule implemented by Pirelli for this year’s Qatar Grand Prix will “destroy” the upcoming Formula 1 race.

Cars will be allowed to cover a maximum of 25 laps per stint during the 57-lap race, making it an effective two-stop while maintaining a degree of strategic variance, due to concerns over tyre wear.

This is the second time specific strategies have been mandated for the Losail race after 2023, though at the time it was down to the kerbs causing micro-lacerations in the rubber, leading to punctures.

The decision was made in agreement with F1, the FIA and the teams, but Komatsu strongly disagrees with it.

“I don't agree with those artificial limits,” the Japanese said, “but I guess it's just Pirelli scared from last year, right? One-stop race, and Pirelli probably thought, ‘Surely they're not going to go this time. Oh no, they're going.’ So they just put this artificial limit so that it's impossible to do a one-stop race.

“But for me, I don't think it's right that we have to do that in a sport. You know, we're talking quite a lot about, you know, avoiding one-stop races; but to put something artificial, like you saw in Monaco and you saw in Qatar one year, I think it will destroy the race.

Ayao Komatsu, Haas F1 Team (Photo by: Simon Galloway / LAT Images via Getty Images)

“For me the issue is not just the one-stop. The issue is that, well, you saw Brazil and Mexico. You don't need to look any further than that to see what kind of exciting race you could have when the tyre performance is on the edge of one or two stops, or two or three stops. You know, when the two strategies could work, that's when an exciting race happens. So, for me, that's what Pirelli needs to aim for.”

Back in 2023, the maximum stint length was 18 laps, meaning cars had to stop three times to cover the 57 laps.

Not everyone stopped at the same time, but the variance did not dramatically alter the picture of the race.

“That race was bad, wasn't it?” Komatsu pointed out. “You know, everybody's pitstop window exactly the same. So, whenever you do something artificial... Nobody's stupid, right? People come to basically the same conclusion.

“So, I don't think it's going to work, those things. You saw that in Monaco this year as well,” he added, after this year’s mandated two-stop got mixed reviews in the Principality. “You know, you're trying to really artificially force something, then you made it worse.”