Soft (C6) and Medium (C5) tyres brought to Monaco by Pirelli have similar performance, but the latter offers greater immediate confidence and could become a viable option in this afternoon’s qualifying session, when finding a time quickly will be essential.
Will it be better to qualify on the Soft or… the Medium? It’s not often that teams are unsure which compound to use to achieve the best times and secure a top grid spot during official qualifying in Formula 1. But this weekend, on the Monte-Carlo street circuit, some teams will face that dilemma and may well choose the less predictable tyre.
After debuting the softest compound in its range — the C6 — at last week’s Made in Italy and Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix in Imola, Pirelli brought it again to Monaco. The aim was to assess its behaviour on a circuit made up mostly of slow corners and tarmac that, while bumpy, is less abrasive than at Imola’s Enzo and Dino Ferrari track.
The feedback from the Italian manufacturer was as expected. The C6 turned out to be the fastest of the three compounds brought to the Principality, but the Medium (C5) is very close in single-lap performance — with only a 0.1–0.2 second difference — as observed during yesterday’s first two free practice sessions.
It’s not just about the minimal performance gap. There’s also a difference in how quickly the C5 and C6 give drivers confidence when pushing for lap time. And we know how crucial qualifying is in Monaco, even though the FIA has introduced a mandatory two-stop rule (minimum) this year to make race strategy less predictable.
“For us, it was important to see the new C6 in action again after its debut in Imola, and we can say that the feedback from last week has been confirmed here as well,” said Simone Berra, chief engineer at Pirelli.
“The softest compound in the 2025 range is slightly quicker than the C5 and can regain a good performance level after one or two cool-down laps. At the same time, its extremely soft nature gives drivers a bit less immediate confidence to push from the very first timed lap, which opens the door to potentially using the Medium even in one or more qualifying segments.”
In short, drivers needing to find a time at the last moment may opt for the Medium due to its quicker warm-up and immediate feel. The C6 may still be widely used in the early stages of Q1 and Q2.
5 Drivers Saved 2 Sets of Hards for the Race
Staying with the Medium compound, Pirelli observed graining on the sets used during race-pace simulations.
“In terms of tyre appearance, we noticed some graining on the Mediums at the end of the long runs. This was entirely predictable on this track and under these conditions,” Berra continued.
Yesterday, several drivers used one set of Hards, leaving them with just one new set of the same compound for tomorrow’s race. This sets up an interesting scenario, since all drivers must make at least two pit stops — meaning three stints.
Meanwhile, 5 out of 20 drivers chose to use a set of Mediums in each of the two sessions, meaning they’ll have fewer of that compound for the race. These include the two McLaren drivers — Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris — along with Lewis Hamilton, Isack Hadjar and Liam Lawson. As a result, they’ll each have just one fresh set of Mediums for the race but two sets of Hards.
Leave a Reply