Could the FIA ​​increase the speed in the pits to increase the spectacle?

En 2025, the Formula 1 is coming to the end of a cycle. This is the final year of the current regulations, introduced in 2022. Result: while the teams are very close in terms of lap times, paradoxically, there is little fighting on the track and the races are soporific. The cause of this annoying phenomenon is what is called "dirty air": while the regulations introduced four years ago aimed to encourage battles, the engineers were able to circumvent it to produce high-performance single-seaters but disrupt the ambient air. Clearly, Formula 1 cars have a lot of trouble keeping up with each other, especially in corners, making overtaking difficult and favoring processions from the first to the last lap of a race.

Faced with this, the FIA ​​leaders are trying to intervene so that the championship does not become a « qualifying championship ", as Frédéric Vasseur explained, stable manager Ferrari. After the first five rounds of the season, four have been won by the poleman. The only exception is Saudi Arabia, where Max Verstappen was penalised for his over-optimism at the first corner. Oscar piastri (2nd on the grid) then won the race, without any battle on the track deciding the winner.

This desire for intervention on the part of the FIA ​​has already been observed with Monaco recently: From now on, two minimum stops will be mandatory for teams during the 2025 Grand Prix in the principalityThe aim is to boost the spectacle on the track in an event where overtaking is rare.

If it intervened for Monaco, the FIA ​​could decide to act throughout the season in order to liven it up. According to The RaceF1 CEO Stefano Domenicali met with Pirelli boss Mario Isola to discuss options. Since the beginning of the year, the tires have not offered enough strategic options to allow teams to succeed, and the one-stop approach has been a systematic choice. However, changes could come from decisions other than tire-related ones.

From 80 to 100 km/h in the pits?

In the pit lane, the speed is limited to 80 km/h for safety reasons. In 1994, following the Imola tragedies, The FIA ​​has introduced numerous rules to improve safety. It was only at this time that the speed limit within the pit lane became limited. In 2004, this limit was 100 km/h, before being reduced to 80 km/h in 2012 (some specific circuits like Monaco have an even lower speed, at 60 km/h). So, in response to this uneventful start to the season, why not return to the 2004 regulations?

Indeed, increasing pit lane speeds would offer teams a strategic boost, encouraging them to favor two-stop plans rather than one. Currently, a pit stop takes an average of 25 seconds under the 80 km/h speed limit. Raising this to 100 km/h would reduce this time by 2,5 to 3,5 seconds. The longer the pit lane, the greater the benefits: a case in point at Imola, a circuit where the long pit lane has not been conducive to battles in recent years. This process could therefore be a solution.

However, still according to The Race, discussions on increasing the permitted speeds in the pits are on hold, as Pirelli wants to first observe the impact of the upcoming races in which they will offer very soft compounds (C6). The objective is to promote tire wear to force teams to make two stops. If this strategy of the Italian manufacturer fails, discussions on increasing the speed in the pits could resume and become more concrete.

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