The 2025 Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix has officially come to a close. As is often the case at the legendary Spa-Francorchamps circuit, the race delivered highly unpredictable and chaotic weather conditions that played a decisive role in shaping the outcome. The start of the race was initially delayed due to heavy rainfall, which created visibility issues severe enough to prevent a safe launch. Once the track conditions improved slightly, the race got underway on Pirelli’s intermediate tyres, deemed the only safe choice under such circumstances.
Following the end of the race, Formula 1 tyre supplier Pirelli, through its Motorsport Director Mario Isola, shared an in-depth post-race analysis of the tyre strategies adopted by the various Formula 1 teams in response to the ever-changing weather conditions in Belgium.
Pirelli’s post-race analysis of the 2025 Belgian Grand Prix: flawless strategy from Lewis Hamilton, alternative choice from Lando Norris
Despite the difficult and unstable conditions faced by all the drivers and teams, the strategic approach taken by the majority of competitors turned out to be relatively similar. Every single driver, including those starting from the pit lane, began the race on intermediate tyres. These were then switched to slicks once a dry line emerged on the track.
Mario Isola remarked that the teams had anticipated the rain would play a major role on Sunday, and indeed it did. He pointed out that poor visibility due to spray was once again the main issue for the drivers, forcing the race start to be postponed until conditions became manageable. The intermediate tyres, he explained, performed as expected under the circumstances, but degradation occurred rapidly—prompting a switch to slick tyres after only a handful of laps.
The first driver to make the transition from intermediates to dry-weather tyres was Lewis Hamilton. The seven-time world champion made his pit stop on lap 11, opting for the slick compound at precisely the right moment—a move that Pirelli regarded as strategically flawless. On the following lap, most of the grid followed Hamilton’s lead, selecting the same compound.
However, McLaren’s Lando Norris opted for a different strategy. He waited two laps longer before making his tyre change, and rather than selecting the same compound as his rivals, he chose the hardest available dry tyre compound—the C1. This decision by the McLaren team paid dividends over the long run, although it may not have been the absolute optimal strategy on paper.
Mario Isola noted that this moment was a bit of a surprise for Pirelli. They had expected all teams to choose the medium compound tyres (C3), but McLaren decided to split their strategies. According to Isola, the C1 compound performed very well overall. Although it was slower than the C3 in terms of outright pace, the harder compound showed greater consistency and less degradation—especially beneficial in the relatively cool track temperatures seen during the Belgian Grand Prix.
Two-stop strategies and Pirelli’s “compound skipping” decision
The vast majority of drivers completed the race with a single pit stop. The only exceptions were Nico Hülkenberg and the five drivers who finished in the bottom positions of the classification: Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Fernando Alonso, Carlos Sainz, Franco Colapinto, and Isack Hadjar. These six drivers opted for a two-stop strategy, which ultimately did not yield any significant benefits.
Mario Isola confirmed that although those who pitted a second time were indeed faster in the closing stages of the race, the time gained was not enough to allow them to make up positions. Once again, Spa proved to be a circuit where overtaking is not as easy as it might seem from the outside.
Finally, Pirelli’s Motorsport Director provided some insight into their unusual tyre compound selection for the Belgian Grand Prix. Specifically, the Italian manufacturer chose to skip the C2 compound entirely and instead brought the C1 (hard) and C3 (medium) slick tyres. This was referred to as a “compound jump,” aimed at giving teams greater strategic flexibility.
Isola explained that while the rainy conditions during the race prevented Pirelli from fully evaluating the performance of this unconventional tyre selection, the data gathered was still useful. He added that these insights would help the tyre supplier make more informed decisions for the remainder of the 2025 Formula 1 World Championship season.
Leave a Reply