Verstappen and Hamilton unlucky: Extra stop for the world champions

Normally Red Bull Racing are on top in terms of race strategy, but for the 2024 Monaco Grand Prix, the Austrian Formula 1 team seems to have made the wrong gamble. The same goes for Mercedes.

Both Red Bull and Mercedes had their drivers start on the hard compound. In doing so, the F1 teams did not take into account a possible early red flag. In such a situation, all teams are allowed to change their drivers' tyres, and in Monaco it is assumed that it is possible to finish the race on the hard tyre.

The red flag did come, as a result of Sergio Perez's mega-crash. All drivers who started on medium were therefore able to change to hard tyre 'for free'. Those who started on hard were less lucky. They changed to mediums, but will have to make a pit stop towards the end of the race.

Among those drivers are Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton, George Russell and Fernando Alonso. They will have to hope for a late safety car to avoid losing too much time against the competition with their pit stops. Hamilton immediately showed his displeasure on the team radio: "I told you guys. I told you guys..."