Why Pirelli’s new C6 tyre shook up Imola GP qual...

“Understanding the C6s was tough,” mentioned Alex Albon after qualifying seventh for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

To an extent, that was the purpose in bringing it right here. F1 groups spend a large proportion of their annual budgets on analysis and simulations to remove uncertainty, however predictability is the enemy of fine racing.

Pirelli added the C6 to its household firstly of the 2025 season to offer a fair softer compound alternative. It was initially slated for introduction in Monaco, with a view to rolling it out in Montreal, Singapore and Las Vegas if its maiden look went effectively.

That preliminary plan modified when it turned clear Pirelli’s different compounds have been too comparable throughout races, making one-stop races the default strategic choice for groups. Due to this, F1’s official provider introduced ahead the C6 debut to Imola, because the development signifies each tyres a step softer than final yr after the opening rounds, however also to see if it would enable Pirelli to ‘skip’ compounds at future events.

What Pirelli – and F1 and the FIA – desires to realize is a higher number of strategic selections, the place the distinction between one-stop and two-stop races is much less clear lower, and the place groups could make use of the distinction between compounds to create an offset in efficiency for drivers. The nirvana organizers intention for is “peak finish impact” for spectators, the place the offset permits drivers on more energizing tyres to chase these forward within the remaining laps.

However there’s a difficult steadiness to strike. Go too delicate and also you’re funnelled right into a state of affairs the place the softest tyre is simply utilized in qualifying.

That seemed to be the case in Imola, though there have been some positives. Each Aston Martin drivers and Mercedes’ George Russell used medium tyres, figuring them to be higher – however in doing so probably compromised themselves for the race.

This is without doubt one of the situations Pirelli wished to engineer, although it most likely would relatively not have reached that final result through a soft tyre that struggled to last a full lap.

“We have seen it in a variety of tracks beforehand, each this yr and final yr,” mentioned Albon. “The softer tyres usually are higher on the low-speed corners.

“However even should you take Suzuka this yr, the onerous tyre felt the most effective in sector 1 [which is medium-to-high-speed]. There’s a little bit of a commerce, and round this monitor it looks like the C6 simply suggestions it over the sting.

“There are too many high-speed corners for it and it is simply falling over a bit of bit. It is a bit too delicate for this monitor sort.

“That’s commonplace – clearly, we [F1 as a whole] are attempting to additionally create a little bit of degradation within the race. So I believe we’re simply going softer tyres – however to some extent now the place typically it is getting too delicate even for qualifying.”

The temper music from the drivers and a number of other crew bosses was that the C6 was dropping a lot efficiency over the course of a single flying lap that it may be higher to make use of the medium as a substitute – the C5, previously Pirelli’s softest. However beneath the trendy F1 regime the place drivers are solely permitted 13 units of slick tyres over a ‘regular’ (i.e. non-sprint) weekend, drawn from the three out there compounds this entailed a sacrifice just some groups have been keen to make.

“The entire weekend has been a bit of bit complicated, which tyre was higher, the medium or the delicate,” mentioned Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin’s medium-tyre punt. “So, out of the confusion, we determined to do one delicate, one medium in every of the [qualifying] classes.

Lance Stroll, Aston Martin Racing

Picture by: Lars Baron / Motorsport Photographs through Getty Photographs

“Like this, we coated each chance. I believe we have been aggressive with each, to be trustworthy.

“All the pieces has a consequence and the whole lot has a bonus and drawback. To have the ability to do that in qualifying, this sort of programme, you must eliminate one of many hards.

“So, I believe everybody has two hards for tomorrow. We have now just one, however that is the wager you want to make at one level.

“It is a tough monitor to overhaul and we make a bit of little bit of a precedence into Saturday. Let’s examine if it pays off.”

To some extent the trade-off of danger vs reward is a query of perspective. Max Verstappen, who certified second on the C6, determined the gamble wasn’t value it.

“I didn’t wish to try this as a result of I wished to have the correct tyres for tomorrow,” he mentioned. “I’ve been on pole a couple of instances this yr, however after that, it didn’t actually assist a lot. We have now to ensure we rating factors within the race, that’s a very powerful factor.”

The complicating issue – and the one which militates in opposition to Pirelli’s hopes of engineering strategic selection – is that Imola’s lengthy pitlane naturally pushes groups in direction of a one-stop race as a result of the time misplaced within the pits (round 28 seconds) inevitably prices monitor place, which is tough to recoup.

Max Verstappen, Purple Bull Racing

Picture by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Photographs through Getty Photographs

“We knew going into Q3 there have been going to be automobiles utilizing the C5, as a result of the C5 is faster this weekend,” mentioned Carlos Sainz, who went quickest of all in Q2 earlier than ending Q3 in sixth. “Fernando used it, Russell used it they usually, if something, certified higher than what they need to have, so once more that proves it [that the C5 is faster because it suffers less degradation over a single lap].

“They did what everybody thought, however on the identical time they’re probably compromising the race tomorrow with a used tyre. For us it is too necessary within the race to sacrifice a C5.

“I might have completed it, however the crew was very disciplined to not use it. However once more, P5 was the utmost immediately – lap on C5 would have put us three or 4 tenths additional ahead, however just one place additional forward, so it’s what it’s.”

Pirelli is already speaking about bringing the C6 to Baku in addition to the others initially deliberate, and pushing on with its idea of skipping compounds afterward within the yr. If the drivers who sacrificed C5s for a greater grid place endure no draw back, after all, that will simply change…