After long trips outside Europe, Formula 1 finally returns to the Old Continent for the season’s second “triple-header.” The European leg will begin with the Imola round, followed by Monaco and Barcelona: three very different GPs, each highlighting different characteristics of the cars.
This return holds greater significance than it may seem. Not only because many teams will bring their first major technical updates of the season, but also because Imola will see the debut of the C6, the latest compound developed by Pirelli to provide teams with an additional strategic option, with the goal of making races more dynamic through softer tyres.
The latest development from the Italian manufacturer was primarily designed for street circuits or tracks with particularly low tyre wear, like Monaco, Las Vegas, or Montreal. For this reason, the decision to debut it at Imola represents an interesting and meaningful move for the future. As Pirelli emphasized, it’s a rather aggressive strategy.
Softer tyres to increase tyre management
Although the Italian track is generally considered not particularly harsh on tyres, its fast corners and numerous traction zones still impose a notable energy load on the tyres. This will force teams into more careful management to avoid an extra stop, which is especially punishing at Imola due to the long pit lane and limited overtaking opportunities.
The choice to introduce the C6 is part of a broader strategy adopted by Pirelli at the start of this season, which has included the use of softer compounds at various rounds, like Saudi Arabia or Miami, to broaden strategic possibilities. Although races have generally remained one-stop affairs even with softer compounds, tyre management has become more critical.
Pirelli has repeatedly stressed that bringing softer tyres is not the solution to Formula 1’s problems, as the cars remain wide, heavy, and sensitive to dirty air. The introduction of softer compounds can add an element of unpredictability, but more so in terms of encouraging more complex tyre management or nudging races toward two stops—though teams tend to adapt.
“It’s a never-ending story. We try to challenge the teams, and they find a solution. If the best strategy is to manage the tyres for a single stop, they’ll do it. Or they’ll configure the car to be gentler on the tyres. We give them a more degrading compound, and they learn how to use it. We move to softer compounds, and they figure out how to adjust their approach,” said Mario Isola.
Imola test for the future: compound skipping under evaluation
The debut of the C6 at Imola also represents an important test for the future, giving Pirelli the chance to collect useful data to evaluate an option that’s long been discussed but hasn’t been implemented for years: skipping a compound in the weekend’s tyre allocation.
“I’m curious to see what happens at Imola with the C6, honestly, because it’s the softest combination we have. The other point is that with the data collected, we can also consider skipping a compound and simulating future races. I want to wait for Imola to see how the C6 behaves in a race weekend context, not just in tests,” added Pirelli’s Motorsport Director.
So far, the C6 has only been tested in a few private sessions, including the collective test in Abu Dhabi at the end of 2024, though the Yas Marina circuit proved too aggressive for practical race use. Seeing it in action during a Grand Prix, as will happen at Imola, will therefore provide much more useful data.
Once the data from the Italian race, followed by Monaco and Montreal, are analyzed, Pirelli will be able to make a more accurate assessment. Through further simulations, it will consider whether skipping a compound could actually make races more lively.
“We want to gather data on the C6 and then simulate other races to assess whether it makes sense to skip a level. For example, between the C3 and C4, the lap time delta is quite small, so we might consider a combination like C2, C4, and C5. In that case, if you want to do a one-stop with C2 and C4, the C2 is obviously slower, and you might not have the same advantage compared to a classic C3, C4, C5 combo.”
This year, Pirelli has spaced the compounds more evenly, but with teams free to choose their starting tyre, they’ve often leaned toward conservative one-stop strategies, such as the typical medium-hard. Only in certain rounds, like Sakhir, was a two-stop strategy used more frequently, often due to track conditions.
Even by skipping a compound, it’s likely that teams will still prefer conservative strategies to avoid an extra stop, especially on circuits where overtaking is difficult. However, this option could still introduce an extra variable, thanks to a more pronounced performance gap between available compounds. One circuit where compound skipping could be tested is Zandvoort, but first, it will be essential to analyze the data collected at Imola.
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