Pirelli has announced the tyres that will be used across the opening five races of the 2025 Formula 1 season, which includes a one-step softer allocation in Saudi Arabia.
The compounds available to the teams at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix will remain unchanged compared to 2024 as the C3, C4 and C5 have been nominated.
Pirelli’s range will be one step harder at the next race in China as the C2 will serve as the designated Hard tyre option to deal with the abrasive asphalt at the Shanghai venue.
The next rounds in Japan and Bahrain – two circuits with high degradation – will see the drivers equipped with Pirelli’s hardest tyres as the C1 will be available for the first time.
But although those selections replicate the choices that were made 12 months ago, Pirelli will bring an alternative assortment to Saudi Arabia in a bid to spice up the action.
The race at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit will mirror the compounds used in Melbourne, with the C5 being used as the Soft option compared to the C4 tyre in the 2024 event.
Even discounting Red Bull’s dominance at that time, the fourth race at the high-speed track had little strategic variance as all but one driver got to the end on one stop.
Pirelli explains Saudi Arabia tyre choice
Elaborating on the change for 2025, Pirelli Motorsport Director Mario Isola said: “Based on our experience from last year and with the information gathered during the development phase of the new compounds, we wanted to go in this direction, to give the teams and drivers a wider range of strategy options.
“In 2024, 18 of the 20 drivers had started on the Medium, namely the C3 and an early neutralisation in the race pushed 14 of those to switch immediately to the C2, which was then the Hard, keeping it all the way to the end. With a softer trio, we believe this can lead to a situation where there could be a mix between one or two-stop strategies.”
As expected, the brand-new C6 compound will not be seen during the initial rounds, with the debut of the new tyre expected to come at the Monaco Grand Prix in May.
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