Formula 1 team bosses warn that the plan to make races more exciting by requiring drivers to make two pit stops could backfire. The proposal was discussed during a committee meeting, as many races this season were won by drivers who only made one mandatory pit stop.
Racing Bulls team boss Alan Permane warns that mandating a second pit stop could have the opposite effect. “Everyone likes two stops or more, but we have to be careful. Our strategy and tyre teams are looking at this closely. The tricky thing about a two-stop race is that the tyres are not always suitable for it. You need tyres that really enforce a two-stop strategy. If you force it, it could just happen that everyone drives the same strategy and you achieve the opposite.”
Williams team boss James Vowles shares this concern. “My biggest worry is that we will all follow exactly the same strategy because we are required to make two pit stops. Let’s first get the basics right: tyre degradation and the differences between the compounds. If a rule comes later that enforces a two-stop, fine, but if we apply this next year I think it will actually result in less variation in the races, and that worries me.”
New Regulations
McLaren team boss Andrea Stella emphasizes that the current rules actually provide variation and unpredictable races. “We often see one driver running a one-stop strategy and another a two-stop. Then you see the one-stop driver being chased by the two-stop, but that of course disappears as soon as it becomes mandatory. So we have to think very carefully about this, and we are. I am convinced that the F1 Commission will discuss this and that we will come to a good solution.”
With the drastic changes to the technical regulations, including new engines and a completely new chassis for 2026, Stella believes it is too early to adjust the tyre regulations. “So much is changing in 2026 that we first need to see what kind of races we get before we change the rules. Let’s first observe and be cautious. Then we can intervene from a sporting point of view to ensure that the races remain both exciting and fair.”
