Pirelli guarantee more than one pit-stop in Monaco Grand Prix

Pirelli Motorsport Director, Paul Hembery.

Pirelli motorsport director, Paul Hembery, says that the Monaco Grand Prix will have a minimum of two pit-stops during the duration of the race.

Over the last few years, we have seen drivers finishing the race on a single-stop strategy due to the lack of tyre-degradation in the Principality. This comes as a complete contrast to what the teams are experimenting this year. The previous race, the Spanish Grand Prix, saw race-winner Fernando Alonso win the race after pitting four times! Moreover, the entire Catalunya Grand Prix witnessed a staggering 82 pit-stops during the race.

Pirelli are said to have modified the tyres to add the extra strategical depth into a team’s preparation.

“In Monaco we’d expect an average of two pit stops per car, because in complete contrast to the last race at Barcelona, Monaco has very low tyre wear and degradation,” Hembery said. “This doesn’t make the race any less strategic however, as in the past we have seen drivers trying completely different strategies yet ending up very close to each other at the finish.

“The last race in Spain was won from lower down on the grid than it has ever been won before, so it will be interesting to see if this pattern can repeat itself in Monaco: a track that is renowned for being difficult to overtake on. Because of this, strategy will become even more important than usual, with teams trying to use tactics to improve on their starting positions.“

Meanwhile, earlier in the year reports suggested the addition of a second DRS zone in Circuit de Monte Carlo. The FIA has since dismissed reports and officially chose to pick only one DRS zone: the start-finish line.

Detection points will be between turns 16 and 17 and the activation point will at the end of turn 19 heading into the run to St Devote.