Formula 1 News: Pirelli makes Qatar GP a minimum 2-stop race (Update)

(GMM) Pirelli has confirmed it will impose a strict tire-mileage limit at the Qatar GP next weekend – a move that will make a two-stop race unavoidable at the penultimate round of the season.

The Italian supplier has now formalized the measure following weeks of speculation about safety concerns at the high-load, high-energy Losail circuit.

“Every set of tires supplied to the teams at the start of the race weekend can cover a maximum of 25 laps of the Lusail track, which is very demanding on tires in terms of energy, thermal stress and wear,” Pirelli stated.

“The laps will be counted cumulatively across all track sessions, including laps run under the Safety Car or Virtual Safety Car.”

With the race distance set at 57 laps, the cap will force every driver into at least two pitstops.

Pirelli said the rule follows a detailed review of last year’s event.

“Several tires, particularly the left front, had reached the maximum wear level. These conditions, combined with the high lateral energy, had increased the structural fatigue of the construction.”

The same type of restriction was used in 2021, when aggressive curbs at Lusail caused micro-tears in tire sidewalls. That problem was largely resolved last year after work on curbs and gravel strips, but Pirelli says the circuit’s combination of long, fast corners and abrasive surface continues to push the construction to its limits.

For the sprint weekend, teams will again use the hardest range – C1, C2 and C3 – with 2 sets of Hards, 4 Mediums and 6 Softs available.

The confirmation also comes just days after the FIA revealed that broader proposals for mandatory two-stop grands prix from 2026 remain under discussion but have not been approved.

“A proposal to explore mandatory two pitstops for grands prix was discussed along with adjustments to tire specifications, tire-life limits, and the use of three compounds during the race,” the federation said after last week’s F1 Commission meeting.

“No changes were presently agreed, but it was agreed that talks on this topic would continue during the 2026 season.”

Pirelli has announced there will be a maximum of 25 laps per tire set in Qatar. This means the Qatar Grand Prix will be a minimum two-stop race.

In Qatar, a limit will be introduced for the number of laps that each set of tires can cover over the course of the whole race weekend. The decision, taken in agreement with the FIA and Formula 1 and discussed in regular meetings with the teams, is confirmed today by Pirelli through the usual technical document containing event specific prescriptions sent out two weeks prior to each Grand Prix.

Every set of tires supplied to the teams at the start of the race weekend can cover a maximum of 25 laps of the Lusail track, which is very demanding on tires in terms of energy, thermal stress and wear. The laps will be counted cumulatively across all track sessions, including laps run under the Safety Car or Virtual Safety Car.

Laps to the grid and formation laps and those completed after the checkered flag in the Sprint and the Grand Prix will not be included in the count. As the Qatar Grand Prix is run over 57 laps, each driver will inevitably have to change tires at least twice. Before the start of the Grand Prix, Pirelli will inform the teams how many laps are still available for each set.

This measure has been deemed necessary, following analysis of the tires used in 2024. Last year, several tires, particularly the left front, had reached the maximum wear level. These conditions, combined with the high lateral energy had increased the structural fatigue of the construction.

In order to reduce the number of pit stops, the teams had worked on tire degradation management, limiting performance dropoff, which sometimes ran the risk of extending the stint beyond the useful life of the tire.

A similar precautionary measure had already been introduced at this track in 2023, although that was for different problems that are now resolved. That year, repeatedly going over some curbs had led to micro-lacerations in the tires’ sidewalls. Last year, the subsequent modification to the pyramid curbs, along with the addition of strips of gravel around them, had avoided a repetition of this situation.

As already announced, Qatar will see the use of the hardest compounds in the Pirelli range: C1 as Hard, C2 as Medium and C3 as Soft. As this is a Sprint weekend, each driver will be supplied with 2 sets of Hard, 4 of Medium and 6 of Soft.