F1 Mexico GP strategy breakdown: how the soft tyre became the hero of the race. The 2025 Mexican Grand Prix brought back mixed strategies.

The Mexican Grand Prix delivered an exciting variety of race strategies that made the on-track battles come alive. Let’s look back at the choices made by the teams through the words of Mario Isola.

The race in Mexico City took a decisive strategic turn around two-thirds of the way through, when several drivers abandoned their original one-stop plans and switched to two-stop strategies, which brought the fight to life on track.

Most of the grid started the race on the soft compound, while the two Red Bull drivers were the only ones among the top teams to go for the medium, all targeting a one-stop strategy. The hard tyre, however, was avoided by almost everyone except Alexander Albon and Franco Colapinto, who were both gambling on an alternative plan. From the early practice sessions, the hard had shown itself to be too stiff and lacking in grip. Pirelli, in fact, had opted to skip a compound by bringing the tougher C2 to Mexico with the goal of encouraging teams to use softer options and to make two-stop races more appealing.

The goal was achieved when, on lap 47, Oscar Piastri, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, and Lewis Hamilton returned to the pits for their second stop, followed shortly after by Oliver Bearman and George Russell on the next lap — all fighting for fourth place. Teams were concerned they wouldn’t reach the finish on their current sets and, at the same time, wanted to switch back to the faster soft tyre, which ultimately proved to be the best compound of the race.

The medium compound delivered lower performance than expected, while the soft turned out to be surprisingly consistent and showed no signs of graining. This encouraged several drivers, including race leader Lando Norris, to extend their first stint as much as possible to maximize its potential.

The Leclerc-Verstappen duel

The race also featured a photo-finish battle between Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen, both on one-stop strategies but using opposite tyre compounds. The reigning world champion, on the soft, mounted a stunning comeback on the Monegasque driver, which was ultimately halted by a late Virtual Safety Car.

Mario Isola’s comments

Mario Isola, Pirelli’s Head of F1 & Car Racing, shared his analysis after the race:

“We witnessed a very interesting race, not only because of the action on track but also due to the strategic choices made by the teams. In Mexico City, the grid was split between one-stop and two-stop strategies. Congratulations to Lando Norris, who delivered a flawless weekend from start to finish and reclaimed the championship lead, and to Ollie Bearman, who gave Haas a valuable fourth-place finish.”

Isola then continued by breaking down the teams’ strategic approaches during the Mexican Grand Prix:

“The medium and soft compounds were the main players today, but if we had to identify the true star of the day, it would undoubtedly be the soft tyre. The softest compound was chosen by most drivers both at the start and in the final stint by those who went for two stops. Thanks to its very low wear and the absence of graining, drivers were able to extend their C5 stints while managing rear thermal degradation effectively. The pit stop windows matched our expectations, and the strategic variety we saw on track also came from our decision to include a compound step in the selection. The hard tyre saw minimal use due to its limited grip, which was a disadvantage on a circuit that offered low traction throughout the weekend.”