F1, Pirelli, shaking up 'show' with tyre selections

Pirelli has confirmed aggressive new tyre allocations for the rest of the 2025 season, designed to force greater variation in race strategies and enhance the spectacle.

Following a wet and inconclusive trial at Spa, the compound-skipping approach will return in Austin and Mexico, where a middle tyre will be omitted to widen the performance gap between the Hard and Medium.

“We believe the idea was good,” Pirelli’s Mario Isola said in Hungary. “If a team wants to use the Hard and target a one-stop race, they are penalised by a slower tyre. If they want to be aggressive, they have to go for a two-stop.”

At Austin, teams will run C1, C3 and C4 – skipping C2. In Mexico, the set shifts to C2, C4 and C5, again skipping the middle range.

There are some changes made in consultation with the FIA and the championship organiser, based on analysis of collected data and simulation work,” Isola added.

“When a one-stop and two-stop are close in race time, teams naturally prefer one stop. They don’t want the risk of traffic or a pit mistake. So we want to force a bit more variation.”

Pirelli will also go softer than 2024 in Zandvoort and Baku, while Interlagos will use harder compounds after the C5 was left unused last year.