Canadian GP – Teams are preparing to line up for qualifying in Montreal, but doubts about the C6 compound are making them reconsider strategy. Are they evaluating the use of medium tyres?
Tyre strategy is being complicated by track conditions and the new Pirelli C6 compound for Canadian GP qualifying. Teams are unsure whether to rely on the softest compound. “Personally, I don’t know, and it seems no one knows,” Pierre Gasly told Motorsport Week. Graining is holding back confidence in the highest-performing tyre.
Oscar Piastri confirmed: “We’re just looking for the best setup. If using the mediums gives us an advantage, we’ll use them.” Friday’s data showed a minimal gap between C6 and C5. With higher temperatures expected on Saturday, the C6 could overheat. Carlos Sainz predicted “more tyre confusion.”
Aston Martin experienced graining on the softs, as Fernando Alonso explained. “They need laps to warm up, then they degrade. You only get one or two good laps,” he said. The team lost data due to Stroll’s crash in FP2. Alonso added: “We’ll do proper tests tomorrow in FP3.”
Fernando Alonso has already surprised at Imola by qualifying on mediums. Mercedes and Williams are considering the same approach. George Russell admitted: “Clearly, several teams are thinking about the medium tyre.”
Pirelli confirmed that nine teams have saved two sets of hard tyres for the race. Only Sauber used a hard in FP2. The Swiss team, however, hopes that one extra set of C5s could prove useful on Sunday. “It might pay off,” they said from the Sauber garage.
Simone Berra, Pirelli’s chief engineer, said: “Graining was high today, but it might improve as grip increases.” He added that a two-stop strategy is the most likely. “It’ll be interesting to see how the softs are managed tomorrow,” he concluded. Everything will be decided during final simulations in FP3.
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