What comes next for Monaco following the two-stop mishap?

      Figures in Formula 1 are once again pondering how to address the questionable spectacle of the Monaco Grand Prix. After the particularly uneventful and sluggish 2024 edition, this year's race on the narrow, winding streets of the Principality required a mandatory two pit stops. "It was worse," conceded Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff.

      World champion Max Verstappen jokingly remarked to Viaplay: "Very exciting. I really enjoyed it. Really great. Maybe we should make it three pit stops next year. Or four or five. At least the team would get some pit stop practice," he added. "I mean, I could have done four pit stops and still finished fourth," said the Red Bull driver. "It didn’t affect us at the front of the field."

      Indeed, while the leading drivers were engaged in an actual race, the rest of the pack was either deliberately creating slow trains of trailing cars or trapped behind them. George Russell even bypassed the harbour chicane to overtake Alex Albon's slow vehicle, resulting in a 30-second penalty. "I was outside the points anyway and just wanted to enjoy pushing hard in Monaco," he stated. "The irony is that I completed 25 qualifying laps during the race and finished higher than I would have without the penalty. So, the system is flawed," Russell noted.

      Nico Hulkenberg concurred: "I appreciate that an attempt was made this year with the two-stop strategy, but it clearly didn’t work. Not at all. There were numerous strategic elements, but they had little to do with real racing." Carlos Sainz expressed his frustration to DAZN, saying, "I'm very upset with the race and with the sport in general. 15 years ago, there were penalties for manipulating races. But now, the whole race is being manipulated," he said. "I hated driving so slowly, but (Liam) Lawson put us in a difficult position, so we had to do what we did."

      With a consensus that the mandatory two-stop strategy was unsuccessful, what comes next? "Maybe we could throw out bananas like in Mario Kart," Verstappen jested. "You can’t race here anyway, so it doesn’t matter what you do. One stop, ten stops. Given the current cars, you can only overtake a Formula 2 car around this track."

      Pole sitter and race winner Lando Norris believes Formula 1 should abandon efforts to enhance on-track action during Monaco Sundays. "I think it should be about who drives the best race and deserves to win," he commented. "I don’t understand why people have such high expectations. It’s not merely a show for entertainment. It’s a sport."

      Verstappen was the race leader until late in the race, delaying his second pit stop in hopes of a red flag that would offer a 'free' pit stop. "I’m sure if we keep going like this in the future, eventually a situation like that will happen," Oscar Piastri said. "But is that what we want to see?"

      Red Bull team principal Christian Horner believes the only solution might be to alter the Monaco layout. "We should try to create a braking zone at the exit of the tunnel or in the first corner," he suggested. "The cars are so large now that passing an opponent is virtually impossible," Horner added. Wolff proposed, "Perhaps we need to implement something like a maximum lap time to prevent tactical gamesmanship from certain competitors."

      Albon, one of the slow drivers during the race, apologized to fans afterward and agreed with Horner that F1 and Monaco need to consider modifying the layout. McLaren boss Andrea Stella remarked, "What we need are smaller and lighter cars."

      Racing Bulls CEO Peter Bayer, recognized as one of the tactical masterminds during the race, noted that the F1 Commission deliberated extensively on the new two-stop rule. "I can’t really think of anything," he told Sky Deutschland when asked about F1's next steps. "If the track doesn’t allow for changes, then the only way to intervene is through regulations. There are suggestions like using only soft tyres or the C6, but ultimately, the reality is that overtaking here is impossible. Regardless of speed, you can’t pass these large cars. The Monaco weekend is crucial for the teams and Formula 1. The fans and our partners love it, and we must aim to improve the sporting aspect."

      Former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher warned, "If this continues, it will eventually lead to the end of the Grand Prix, as spectators won’t accept it." Another former Grand Prix star, Nick Heidfeld, chimed in: "Perhaps they could consider a joker lap where drivers take a shortcut once or twice during the race."

      Wolff concluded by suggesting that Monaco should remain unique, and that the most overtaking-focused critics should