F1 News: Pirelli pushes strategy shake-up with bold tire tweaks

(GMM) Pirelli has confirmed a new strategic tire allocation approach for the remainder of the 2025 Formula 1 season, aimed at forcing greater variation in race strategies and boosting the on-track spectacle.

Following an inconclusive test of the system at a rain-affected Belgian GP, motorsport director Mario Isola revealed the compound-skipping format will now be used in both Austin and Mexico City.

“We believe the idea was good,” Isola told reporters in Hungary. “We made simulations, and creating a bigger gap between the Hard and Medium means that if a team wants to use the Hard and target a one-stop race, they are penalized by a slower tire. If a team wants to be aggressive, they have to go for a two-stop.”

Mario Isola, Director of Pirelli F1 Andrea Stella, Team Principal of McLaren and Alan Permane, Team Principal of Visa Cash App Racing Bulls in the Team Principals Press Conference during practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Hungary at Hungaroring on August 01, 2025 in Budapest, Hungary. (Photo by Bryn Lennon/Getty Images) // Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool //

As Auto Motor und Sport explained, “The omission of a compound will be tested at two of the four races in America.” At Austin, teams will receive C1 (Hard), C3 (Medium), and C4 (Soft), skipping C2. In Mexico, the Hard shifts to C2 instead of C3, again skipping the middle range.

Isola said the changes were part of a coordinated push to improve race dynamics: “There are some changes made in consultation with the FIA and the championship organizer, based on an analysis of the collected data and simulation work.”

He added: “If you have a one-stop and two-stop that are very close in total race time, teams naturally choose the one-stop. They don’t want to risk traffic or pit mistakes. So we want to force a bit more variation.”

Further adjustments include a softer selection at Zandvoort and Baku, while Interlagos goes harder than 2024 after the C5 was left unused last year.