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Pirelli, FIA Impose Qatar-Only 25-Lap Tyre Limit, Ensuring Two Stops

Pirelli cites 2024 data showing tyres reached maximum wear, prompting a Qatar-only safety prescription.

Overview

  • The cap applies to every tyre set across all sessions, with safety car and virtual safety car laps counted while laps to the grid, formation laps, and post-flag laps are excluded.
  • For mixed sets, the allowable mileage is set by the corner with the highest prior use, and Pirelli will provide teams with a pre-event log of each set’s recorded laps.
  • The limit responds to Pirelli’s finding that some 2024 tyres hit 100% wear, exposing the carcass and raising a risk of damage from debris or kerbs.
  • Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu criticises the move as an artificial constraint that could dilute strategy variety, referencing Monaco’s unpopular two-stop mandate.
  • Pirelli notes edge cases may require discretion from race control, including the possibility of extending limits if the pitlane is closed at a critical moment.