Two years ago Formula 1 chose to extend Pirelli’s contract as its official tyre supplier, turning down a rival bid from Bridgestone.
“The company’s commitment to quality, innovation and their deep knowledge of our sport will be
vital in the coming years,” enthused F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali.
“Quality” was not the word which sprung to mind three days earlier, during the Qatar Grand Prix weekend. Pirelli had admitted it could not guarantee its tyres would last beyond 18 laps of the Losail International Circuit – less than 100 kilometres – without risk of catastrophic failure.
Although F1 had raced at the Losail circuit once before, there were some mitigating factors which explained how it could have failed to foresee how demanding it would prove. The second race was held earlier in the year than the first, when temperatures were higher. The Losail track had not only been resurfaced but entirely refurbished with new kerbs and the latter proved especially problematic.
The second edition was also a sprint event which limited teams to just a single hour of practice, further complicating matters as the tyre problems came to light. F1 ultimately took the undesirable and unprecedented step of enforcing maximum stint lengths for drivers.
The sprint race was interrupted by a lengthy Safety Car period due to a multi-car crash (unrelated to the tyre problems) which deprived Pirelli of useful data to judge how long its tyres could last. The matter was further complicated by the fact teams had already begun eating into their allocation of tyres.
Pirelli ended up setting a low stint limit of just 18 laps. The teams were straightjacketed into virtually identical three-stop strategies. After winning the processional grand prix, Max Verstappen said there was “a few things, I think, to learn out of this weekend.”
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For 2024 the problems with the kerbs appeared to have been addressed. Edges were smoothed and gravel traps installed to deter drivers from running wide.
This appeared to work: No stint limits were deemed necessary for last year’s grand prix. However Pirelli discovered worrying signs when it inspected teams’ worn tyres afterwards.
“Last year, several tyres, particularly the left front, had reached the maximum wear level,” it explained in a statement today. “These conditions, combined with the high lateral energy had increased the structural fatigue of the construction.”
Last year nine drivers ran stints of 35 laps during the race. Pirelli has imposed a maximum stint length of 10 laps less than that for next week’s event. Clearly it doesn’t want drivers getting anywhere near the kind of wear it saw 12 months ago.
Of course it’s better that this problem is being tackled in advance of the event. No one wants a repeat of ‘Indygate’.
However that notorious episode happened when F1 was still a competition between multiple tyre suppliers. Compared to Michelin and Bridgestone 20 years ago, Pirelli has the luxury of not vying with a competitor in pursuit of ultimate performance. It also has more power to control how teams use its products, such as by enforcing minimum pressures.
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Moreover, if Pirelli has been aware of the problem since the last race in Qatar almost a year ago, why wait until now to apply this sticking-plaster solution instead of applying a more suitable solution – i.e. by making more durable tyres? Pirelli has introduced new compounds during seasons before and did develop a new compound for 2025. F1’s decision to introduce an extra-soft ‘C6’ tyre in the hope of enlivening street races when it needed a more durable tyre at the opposite end of the range smacks of putting the show before the sport.
Granted, the C6 tyre development began earlier in 2024. But when F1 is constantly advertising how well it is doing financially, it clearly has the resources to avoid embarrassments like this. Small wonder the official F1 website has, thus far, ignored the statement Pirelli issued several hours ago.
Fudging the rules in this way should always be the absolute last resort. With the world championship hanging in the balance – not just the drivers’ title but lucrative constructors’ championship positions – it remains to be seen how a last-minute rules change such as this might advantage or disadvantage a competitor.
One of the drivers’ title contenders was among the quartet of drivers who suffered tyre failures during the inaugural 2021 race. “If we just can’t drive a Formula 1 car around the circuit, then what can you do?” Lando Norris opined. “I didn’t even do a very long stint – 20 laps, 25 laps, whatever. I should still be able to drive the circuit.”
“They should make the tyres better,” he added. But four years later F1 still hasn’t, and questions should be asked not just of those who make the tyres, but those who pick the supplier, the tracks and the rules.
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