Pirelli: how higher pressures and aggressive track surface challenge teams in Bahrain. Pirelli Preps for Bahrain with Tougher Tire Pressures and Aggressive Track Surface.

After Japan, Formula 1 doesn’t stop and will be back on track this weekend, but 8,000 kilometers away, in Sakhir, in the semi-desert archipelago of Bahrain, located in the Persian Gulf.

It’s a significant shift on several levels, not only because the temperatures will be completely different, going from the highs below 20°C and rain on Sunday morning to about 30°C expected for the upcoming weekend, but also due to the track layouts, which have different characteristics.

Suzuka favors medium-to-high-speed corners, which is why having a precise and effective front end that instills confidence in the driver is crucial. In contrast, Sakhir features many slower zones where a stable rear end is necessary to avoid sliding the tires and increasing their wear. These two variables will play a key role in managing tires for the fourth race of the season. Paradoxically, despite the completely different layouts, both Suzuka and Bahrain will feature entirely different tire compounds, the hardest of Pirelli’s 2025 range, namely C1 for Hard, C2 for Medium, and C3 for Soft.

Even though there are no high-speed corners with strong lateral forces that stress the tires as in Japan, the decision to bring such hard compounds to Bahrain is related to the characteristics of the asphalt, one of the most aggressive in the entire calendar. The Sakhir track surface has never been renewed and is still the same as when the first Grand Prix was held back in 2004.

All teams will start from a fairly solid base, as the only preseason test session of 2025 took place at the Sakhir circuit in the last week of February. Thanks to the three days of testing, the teams will have plenty of data, although this year’s tests were affected by rain and cooler temperatures than usual.

During the 24 hours of total testing, 3,897 laps were completed, equaling 21,090.564 kilometers. The selected tire compounds were almost entirely in focus: the C3 compound was used for 67.17% of the laps, followed by C2 (20.88%) and C1 (9.26%); the C4 compound had a marginal presence with 101 laps, and three laps were completed with the Intermediates.

It’s important to note that the starting minimum pressures have been increased compared to the 2024 race (+1 psi on the front axle and +2 psi on the rear axle) as well as compared to the February tests, by 0.5 psi on each axle, with the fine-tuning based on the data collected during that time. As a result, the minimum pressures prescribed for this event will be 23 psi on the front and 21 psi on the rear.

The track is one of the most challenging on the calendar for tires, especially during braking and traction phases. The aggregate used for the asphalt remains very abrasive, although it provides good grip. Wear itself isn’t a problem, but what really makes a difference in Bahrain is thermal degradation, which generally leads to a two-stop race and, above all, allows for strategic variation with undercuts.