F1 boss makes 'Titanic' claim after Monaco GP debacle

Stake boss Jonathan Wheatley was relieved that F1 tried to create something different in the Monaco Grand Prix than just "rearranging deckchairs on the Titanic."

The mandated two-stop strategy has been met with almost universal condemnation after some teams gamed the race by using their second car to back up the field and allow the sister car to complete both its pit stops and rejoin ahead. 

The rule was brought in after the 2024 Monaco GP, where a first-lap red flag meant drivers were able to freely change tyres during the suspension, with only a handful of green-flag stops, for strategy reasons later on. 

Reflecting on the race where Gabriel Bortoleto was 14th and Nico Hulkenberg 16th, Wheatley used a well-known saying about the sinking of the RMS Titanic in April 1912 after striking an iceberg.

"I think we all knew what this race would be if we stuck to the regulations we had previously," Wheatley told media, including RacingNews365. 

"F1 made a decision to try something different, and I am really encouraged by that instead of just rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic. 

"There was a decision made to try something different, and we would decide whether it works, but it was certainly different, but I don't think it was universally well-received.

"Some teams were in a position to be able to [use their cars], such as Williams, Mercedes and Racing Bulls, as their cars were in the right place on track, and we never really had the opportunity to do it. 

"In the end, it was a really good overtaking manoeuvre by Lance [Stroll], and in the end, Nico probably decided it really wasn't worth going head-to-head in the position that he was."