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Pirelli Skips C2 to Confirm C1, C3 and C4 for Belgian GP Sprint

Drivers will face 12 tyre sets with mandated medium compounds for initial sprint qualifying to heighten strategic uncertainty under the Ardennes’ notoriously variable weather.

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Overview

  • Pirelli has opted for non-consecutive slicks for Spa’s sprint weekend, the first time since the 2022 Australian Grand Prix that C2 is omitted.
  • Under sprint regulations each driver receives 12 sets of tyres—six soft, four medium and two hard—one fewer than a regular race weekend.
  • Regulations mandate medium tyres for the first two parts of sprint qualifying, with soft tyres required for the top-10 shootout.
  • Pirelli simulations suggest the greater gap between compounds will make two-stop strategies more competitive and increase tyre-management unpredictability.
  • Spa-Francorchamps’ fickle Ardennes weather raises the likelihood of intermediate and extreme wet-tyre deployments during the weekend.