Each year in Barcelona, Pirelli brings the hardest compounds in its range because the high-speed corners, which transfer a lot of energy to the tyres, the high temperatures, and aggressive asphalt require more resistant rubber. That was the case again this season, yet there’s something curious and “unusual”: the hardest compounds do not seem to be working, to the benefit of the softer ones.
It almost seems paradoxical, because both on single laps and over long distances, the soft tyre has proven to be the best compound among those brought by Pirelli to Barcelona—so much so that it’s expected to be used in two separate stints, alternated with a harder compound, just like in 2024.
This leads to an interesting consideration: why has the hard not managed to be effective, to the point that teams already discarded a set during FP1? It is logical to think that, with this choice, the teams were already aware that the hardest compound wouldn’t be very competitive, and the trend appears to follow what has been seen in the past.
Due to its layout, the Barcelona track requires rather significant compromises—not so much (or not only) in terms of balancing slow and high-speed corners, but especially in how the two axles are managed. The many quick corners, high temperatures, and one of the most aggressive surfaces of the season push teams to choose carefully which axle to prioritise.
Too much understeer, in an effort to protect the rear tyres, ends up destroying the front-left in high-speed corners, like turn 3 or the final two fast corners of the third sector. On the other hand, if the setup focuses on protecting the front to reduce understeer, the risk becomes excessive stress on the rear tyres. This will likely be a key theme for the race and it will be interesting to observe how the track evolves once more rubber is laid down.
Simone Berra from Pirelli explained that thermal degradation originates from traction zones—mainly those after the first chicane, after turn 5, and after turn 10—which are the most critical points for traction. He confirmed how complex it is to find the right balance between the front and rear axles.
As for the front, he noted that it is especially overloaded in turn 3, which is a very long corner. The front-left tyre is more heavily loaded than the rear-left, which leads to high temperatures even on the front axle. Therefore, it is essentially a matter of keeping the temperature low on both axles.
It was no coincidence that many teams were seen experimenting yesterday to find the right balance between front and rear, with wing changes (as in the case of McLaren) or a more unstable rear end, as seen on Red Bull and Ferrari, who will certainly aim to correct this, especially for qualifying.
Finding this balance proved even more difficult with the C1 hard tyre, which provides less mechanical grip and tends to slide more, triggering overheating and further reducing traction. Perhaps a more rubbered-in track could help, but on Friday it was the worst-performing compound of the three—especially considering that this year the C2 has been brought closer to the C3 in terms of performance.
Indeed, during the first session, several drivers—including Lewis Hamilton—immediately reported how little grip the hardest compound offered, both on single laps (which wasn’t a surprise) and over long runs. Realistically, teams had already predicted this scenario in pre-weekend simulations, also based on historical data, which is why they discarded it right away in FP1.
Simone Berra added that the C1 struggles with sliding, which creates significant overheating and thus poor pace. On paper, it is the most thermally resistant tyre. However, the Italian noted that it doesn’t manage to generate grip on the asphalt, so the race pace simply doesn’t materialise.
Unsurprisingly, Pirelli believes that the strategy most top teams should follow is soft/medium/soft, although surprises could arise—like in last year’s race, when an early pit stop led to a more creative strategy. Furthermore, the soft tyre at the start should offer extra grip, which is helpful given the long straight heading into turn 1 and the importance of avoiding dirty air in the early laps.
Simone Berra explained that, from Pirelli’s point of view, the C3 and C2 are very similar. He stated that the C3 is a good race tyre and that, since degradation is high, if there isn’t a sharp drop in performance—if front-left wear doesn’t reach 100%—and the tyres can be managed properly, then the C3 becomes a good long-run option. On a long stint, he noted, its pace was quite similar to the C2.
The Italian also added that this was something they observed last year too, so they were not really surprised. Moreover, this year the C2 and C3 are even closer, since last year’s C2 had less grip and thus struggled more, like the C1. By contrast, this year’s C2 offers more grip and is closer to the C3.
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