Toto Wolff reveals the way to save the F1 Monaco GP might be to mandate a minimum lap time speed, to prevent teams from using gamesmanship to secure points such as how Williams did to Mercedes in Sunday’s race.
For years, the Circuit de Monaco has had its place on the Formula 1 calendar questioned and for the 2025 edition, the FIA opted to try something unique by mandating two pit stops to try to combat the boring races.
And whilst it was less dull than previous years, it didn’t create the open race fans were looking for as the same problems persisted with overtaking hard to pull off whilst other teams also used dark arts to bag points.
For example, Williams used both Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon to drive massively off the pace in a bid to make sure neither Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli nor George Russell could get ahead of them with an undercut.
Likewise, Racing Bulls also used the tactic through Liam Lawson and Isack Hadjar to ensure both of their drivers brought home points to the Faenza-based team for their constructors’ championship aims.
As a result, a frustrated Wolff reveals how the solution to save the Monaco GP may be in a minimum lap time as the Mercedes team principal reacts after the intriguing F1 2025 race.
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“We had to try something,” Wolff told Sky Sports F1 of the pit stop rules. “I see it from a different perspective. This is such great entertainment.
“We had full grandstands. There are spectators everywhere on the terraces and on the boat. Lots of spectacle, wining and dining. Saturday is the day the sport comes alive.
“On Sunday we tried something, it didn’t work and maybe for next year we need to find some regulations where maybe we need to define a maximum lap time, so this backing off didn’t happen.”
Can F1 implement Wolff’s Monaco GP plan?
For a long time, Formula 1 has employed a 107% rule in a dry weather qualifying session for cars who are deemed too slow cannot enter the Grand Prix, making sure that they are not dangers on track as well as interfering with the race.
At famous Monte Carlo event in 2025, that time was deemed a 1:16.215 based on Lando Norris’ pole of a 1:09.954 and saw Franco Colapinto come closest to a breach, but still around four seconds off with his 1:12.597 in qualifying.
This is something the sport could look at in their quest to make sure racers aren’t driving significantly off the pace to simply care for their tyres and mind the barriers, thus giving fans better value for money.
If F1 introduced the rule, based on Norris’ completed race time of a one hour 40 minutes and 33 seconds, the 107% rule would be set at a lap time of 1:35.135. However, the McLaren was also driving off the pace so the true time would be far lower.
Previously, minimum lap times have also been implemented for qualifying out-laps to make sure drivers are not creating a danger or impeding rivals when they’re trying to bring their tyres into working window in extremely hot conditions.
