Pirelli confirms its tire choices for early 2025, maintaining last year’s compounds but opting for softer selections at the Saudi Arabian
Pirelli has informed all Formula 1 teams of its slick tire choices for the Japanese, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix.
The first four races of the season follow the same compound selection as last year, but there is a change for the fifth round of 2025. For the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, held on Jeddah’s street circuit from April 18 to 20, a slightly softer trio of compounds than in 2024 will be available: C3 as Hard, C4 as Medium, and C5 as Soft.
“Based on our experience last year and the data collected during the development phase of the new compounds, we wanted to go in this direction to offer teams and drivers a wider range of strategic options,” explained Pirelli’s Motorsport Director, Mario Isola.
“In 2024, 18 of the 20 drivers started on Medium, the C3, and an early race neutralization led 14 of them to switch immediately to C2, then the Hard, to run until the end. With a softer trio, we believe this could lead to a scenario where there might be a mix of one- and two-stop strategies.”
This year, the Jeddah race takes place on the third weekend of April, whereas the previous four editions were held once in December—during its debut year in 2021—and three times in March.
Suzuka and Sakhir are generally two of the most demanding circuits for tires, the former due to the lateral forces exerted in its many high-speed corners—on what is the calendar’s only figure-eight track—and the latter due to thermal degradation caused by the asphalt.
It is therefore logical to stick with the three hardest compounds in the range (C1 as Hard, C2 as Medium, and C3 as Soft). With Melbourne (C3, C4, C5) and Shanghai (C2, C3, and C4) following the same pattern as in 2024, this means that only the brand-new C6 compound will not be used in the opening stretch of five races in six weeks.
- Discover More>Flavio’s Late Move: How Sainz Nearly Snubbed Williams
- Follow us on >Facebook and >Twitter for F1 updates
Softer Tires for Jeddah as Pirelli Tweaks 2025 Selection Softer Tires for Jeddah as Pirelli Tweaks 2025 Selection
