Formula 1 is in Spain for the third consecutive European race after Imola and Monaco, held last week with Lando Norris’s victory, which sparked some controversy over the rule introduced for the eighth round of the championship: the mandatory double pit stop. This idea was intended to make the race more spectacular on a street circuit where overtaking is extremely difficult, with drivers sharing their opinions on possible solutions to improve the show in the coming years.
All sitting around a table
In this regard, at the FIA press conference on the eve of the Spanish Grand Prix, local driver Carlos Sainz spoke: “I think this is a discussion we need to have among ourselves drivers, maybe coming up with ideas to propose to the FIA and FOM for them to consider – he commented – I think no one understands better than us Formula 1 drivers, who are in the car, how easy it is to manipulate the race or to go 3-4 seconds slower than the ideal pace and still finish in the same position. I think for the benefit of the sport we need to sit down ourselves and understand not only what the best solution is, but also which is the easiest to apply and the most common sense. We need to think about it and come up with some ideas to then see which can actually be implemented. Obviously FIA and FOM proposed this idea of two stops and clearly it didn’t work, at least in the midfield. I always welcome novelties or experiments to see if they can work, but I think FIA would greatly benefit in the decision-making process if it included us drivers as well, and I believe it would benefit the sport if instead of trying two stops or other things, we all sat at a table together and, considering the drivers’ ideas, communicated them to FIA and FOM, and together we produced solutions that could actually work.”
The nature of Monaco
A very different comment came from another local driver in Spain, Fernando Alonso, who believed that every single weekend in Monaco is experienced the same way by fans: “Monaco has always been Monaco – he explained during the press conference – but now I think there are many expectations, many news stories every day, many things circulating on social media, on the internet. There is a lot of chatter around Formula 1, we want to see the show, we want to see overtaking, everyone wants to improve the sport from their couch at home. Everyone has different ideas. I am always a bit surprised by the negative comments about Monaco on Monday, but don’t worry because next year we will go to Monaco and on Wednesday we will be super excited. During the weekend we will say it’s the best track of the season where everyone wants to win. Saturday we will be super hyped and the adrenaline we will feel during qualifying laps will probably be unique in the championship, and then for some reason on Sunday we will all be disappointed again. But that’s the situation. You play all your cards on Saturday, sometimes it goes well, sometimes not. But there are other circuits where the situation is similar. That’s the nature of Formula 1. As competitive as the grid is now, three or four years ago I believe Max Verstappen and Red Bull won almost all the races, and it also happened with McLaren in the 90s. This is Formula 1. It has happened and will happen in the future. But it’s still the number one sport and we accept it and will accept it as it is.”
Saturday and Sunday
McLaren, which in this edition returned to victory with Lando Norris, described the feelings experienced on the Principality street circuit: “I wasn’t even close to being calm in the car, especially in qualifying. Qualifying in Monaco is the most beautiful lap of the year. It’s the most beautiful lap in all of F1, or probably all motorsport, because it gives you the most emotions, the most fear, the most sensations of discomfort. But at the same time, when you cross the finish line, it gives you the greatest satisfaction. So it’s the perfect Saturday. Obviously Sunday doesn’t always give you the best race of the season, but it’s still always a great race for many reasons.”
Failed idea
A brief comment also came from George Russell who, as during the week, reiterated how unpopular the double pit stop rule was: “Our weekend was over on Saturday. We know Monaco is a race decided in qualifying. There were hopes and expectations with the two stops. We were all grateful for this attempt at two stops, but clearly it didn’t change things as expected.”
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