MONACO -- The usually processional Monaco Grand Prix could be turned upside down by a new rule change on Sunday -- 2024 winner Charles Leclerc has predicted "chaos," while Ferrari teammate Lewis Hamilton has said the final result could be a "lottery."
For this year's race F1 has mandated a minimum off two pit stops for everyone, aimed at creating variation in strategy and stopping drivers from simply nursing a set of tyres all the way to the finish.
The rule has created an extra complication in strategy meetings -- earlier this week, championship leader Oscar Piastri quipped his head was "still kind of untwisting itself" after a meeting discussing all the various permutations.
Piastri's McLaren teammate and title rival Lando Norris took pole on Saturday afternoon but admitted the change had left an extra degree of uncertainty about converting that into a win.
Asked how much of the job he felt he had done after pole at a circuit where overtaking is almost non-existent, he said: "I have no idea. It's impossible to put a number on it, especially here.
"I would have felt like a higher number if it was last year's rules. But obviously, this year, things have changed."
Leclerc, who starts alongside Norris in second, said: "I think it's going to be a bit of a chaos tomorrow, but we'll see how it plays out.
"I think there'll be a lot of strategy games and we'll see who comes out on top. But I think we might be under pressure of cars that we probably don't expect from the back, which might make everything interesting."
The amount of jeopardy the rules will create has been a talking point all week long in the build up to the race.
Seven-time champion Hamilton, a long-time critic of the dull Monaco spectacle, suggested the tweak could radically shake things up the order on Sunday.
"I think the two stops should be better than the s----- we had last year," said the Ferrari driver, who will start seventh after a three-place penalty for impeding Max Verstappen in qualifying.
"Last year the safety car came out Lap 2 and everyone was just on one tyre for 70 something laps. It was an uneventful race. I think this forces a bit more of a lottery. I think you need that at this sort of track because you can't overtake. I'm excited to see how different it is."
McLaren boss Andrea Stella told the media on Saturday evening that his team's usual strategy briefing would be longer than normal, with so many added permutations to discuss.
The added complication might well have an implication in the drivers' championship fight, with the McLaren drivers and Red Bull's Max Verstappen claiming all the victories so far this year.
With Norris starting from pole and Piastri lining up in third, McLaren boss Andrea Stella said the danger factor is higher for cars starting up the order.
"The risk is material," he said. "The implications of the compulsory two stops are much wider than we thought initially.
"These implications also add the factor that depending on you being at the front or you being at the back of the field you can make significantly different choices. And then as a function of red flags, safety cars, teamwork."
It was clear drivers who qualified at the low end of the grid on Saturday evening had an optimism not usually associated with a poor starting position at Monte Carlo.
"I think we can do something crazy and benefit from that," said Haas driver Oliver Bearman, who is set to start from last. "I've had a few ideas and, you know, starting from last, we can take the maximum risk to try something. I'm not sure what that will end up being. But let's see."
Stella hinted at another scenario the rules will create.
"We may see cars helping each other of the same team," he said.
When asked if he was concerned about having to ask either of his drivers to sacrifice a good result in order to protect the overall race victory for their teammate, and how tricky that would be to do given the context of the title fight, Stella insisted the plan is to let Norris and Piastri race as normal.
"[It's difficult] not only for the outcome, but also for the process," he said. "I agree on you saying tricky. And not because the two McLarens are P1 and P3, but because of these regulations. And because of when a safety car or a red flag. Or depending on what's happening at the back.
"[It] really can make the decisions pretty difficult. We will always try to make decisions and let the race unfold in a natural way so that our two drivers have their best opportunity to capitalize on their performance and on their efforts.
"I think we don't foresee any deviation from this natural evolution of the race, unless it's a benefit for both."