Pirelli’s C6 soft tyre returned in Canada, sparking diverse race strategies and debates on F1 tyre performance in changing conditions.
Pirelli once again brought the soft C6 tyre to Canada, and it again presented the same challenges seen previously. Drivers were able — or even compelled — to qualify on the medium compound in order to better maintain it within its optimal operating window.
During the race, only a handful of drivers used the C6 in the final laps, while the two other compounds were preferred. Notably, Esteban Ocon and Carlos Sainz delivered strong performances, completing 57 laps on their starting hard tyres. The Frenchman even noted that his tyres regained performance as the laps went on.
“It was a closely contested race from start to finish, as evidenced by the appearance of the safety car — the top five drivers were separated by less than seven seconds with just four laps remaining,” said Mario Isola, Pirelli’s Head of F1 Racing.
“From a strategy standpoint, the two-stop approach proved to be the fastest, with the hard compound being the most effective. A one-stop strategy was possible, but to be honest, it was only a viable option for those starting in the second half of the grid, who had less to lose. Those on the front rows could push hard during each stint, resulting in a competitive race with significant variation in stint lengths and compound usage order. The most effective tyre was the hard, despite our limited data on it, since only Sauber had used it during Friday’s free practice. The medium likely suffered somewhat from the higher temperatures compared to the first day.”
“This was the third event of the year where the C6 was used. We’ll now carefully analyze all the data collected here to determine whether and how it can be used again this season after the summer break. Once again, we observed that the performance gap between the C6 and the C5 was relatively small — around one to one and a half tenths — but, as we anticipated on Saturday, having a wider range of compounds allowed teams more strategic flexibility. Honestly, without the C6, we would have brought the same trio as last year — C3, C4, and C5 — which likely would have resulted in a more linear, one-stop race.”
The Italian also played on national pride, expressing joy at seeing one of his compatriots on the podium — the first since Jarno Trulli in Japan in 2009: “Finally, let me say that, as an Italian, I was very happy to see one of our compatriots on the podium.”
“This is the first time since Pirelli returned to Formula 1 in 2011. Interestingly, the last time an Italian driver finished in the top three with a car equipped with our tyres was also here in Montreal, back in 1991, when Stefano Modena, driving a Tyrrell-Honda, finished second behind the winner Nelson Piquet in a Benetton-Ford, also on Pirelli tyres.”
Isola concluded by reminding that Pirelli’s development work for 2026 continues this week with Ferrari.
“Our work continues this week with an important test for the development of the 2026 wet-weather tyres. In collaboration with Ferrari, we’ll be using their Fiorano circuit, with Guanyu Zhou driving on Thursday, followed by Charles Leclerc on Friday.”
