Pirelli continues its work in preparation for the next season. As was the case after the Japanese and British Grands Prix, the Italian tire manufacturer stayed on at Monza for a few more days following the conclusion of last week’s Italian Grand Prix.
At the Monza National Autodrome, track action resumed, with three teams running today and tomorrow for two extremely important test days for the Italian tire maker, currently engaged in defining the compounds for 2025 after working on a new tire structure during recent tests.
Throughout the year, Pirelli has a total of 40 test days organized with the FIA and various teams participating in the championship, allowing them to work on and evaluate their prototypes directly on the track after simulations in the factory.
To continue this development program, Mercedes and Red Bull took to the track at Monza today. For the Silver Arrows, George Russell drove the W15, while for the reigning world champions, Liam Lawson was behind the wheel of the RB20. The English Mercedes driver completed 127 laps, more than two Grand Prix distances, with a fastest time of 1:20.747. The New Zealander finished with a total of 104 laps, with his best time being 1:22.126. This is an excellent opportunity for Lawson to continue gaining experience with a Formula 1 car ahead of next year, as Helmut Marko has repeatedly confirmed that the New Zealander should be on the 2025 grid.
Tomorrow, Racing Bulls will also join the group, with Lawson continuing to drive the VCARB01. Originally, Pirelli had planned to test a possible C6 compound at Monza, but the focus has mainly been on the softer compounds since last weekend’s protagonists were the C3, C4, and C5, currently the softest in the range.
Pirelli will also be busy tomorrow at the Fiorano track, where, with support from Scuderia Ferrari, Oliver Bearman will be driving an SF-24 to work on developing wet tires. He will be accumulating kilometers in preparation for the Azerbaijan GP, where he will replace Kevin Magnussen in the Haas. The choice of Fiorano is not random, as its irrigation system allows the Italian track to be wet more easily, even though there aren’t many fast corners to transmit significant energy to the tires.
The Maranello team already tested at Paul Ricard in May during a wet tire testing session. It’s no secret that drivers have often complained that the full wet compound does not perform well, unlike the intermediate tire, so much so that drivers tend to pit as soon as possible, given the significant competitive gap between the two compounds.
For this reason, Pirelli is working to reduce overheating on the full wet tire to ensure better performance and more linear degradation. Additionally, there is still the intention to test the intermediate tire that does not require tire warmers, to have a product similar to the full wet, which already does not need to be preheated.
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