Red Bull Doesn’t Want Mandatory Two/Three-Stop Races In F1

Posted on October 17, 2023 | by Dre Harrison It’s always been one of the suggested methods to improve “The Show”, and due to changes made during the 2023 Qatar Grand Prix, we got an accidental experiment in mandated pitstops in F1. But is it something that F1 should have in the future? ???? Because Pirelli spotted a potential issue with the construction of the tyre being compromised by the “pyramid” kerbs installed at the track, the FIA elected to enforce an 18-lap tyre life limit, effectively making the 57-lap Qatar Grand Prix a forced 3-stop race. But Red Bull isn’t keen on making the idea permanent. In a media-scrum post-Qatar that included The Race, Horner said the limitations on strategy would put him off the idea. “Strategically it wasn’t [the] optimum strategy for the race, two stops and tyre degradation and some of the other things would have come into play, but it was a different race and it tested the strategists in a different way,” said Horner. “The thing is it made it a lot more predictable because you know what the maximum stint length for each car was.” Generally speaking, Pirelli tends to err on the side of caution when it comes what compounds it brings – and most races end up one-stoppers. When pressed by the media on the fans wanting more 2-3 stop races instead, Horner swatted the suggestion away. “You’ve got to give the freedom and that creates the creativity,” added Horner. “Mandating the pitstops will have effects on qualifying and how many laps you do in qualifying to save tyres for the race so that doesn’t, to me, make sense. You want to run your fastest race, whether that’s a one- or two-stop or a three-stop. That’s where we need to be at.” An intriguing one-off via Pirelli’s hand being forced, or something more? Would you like to see more 2-3 stop races in F1?