Formula 1 tyre supplier Pirelli has further explained how the lap limit imposed at this weekend’s Qatar Grand Prix will work and addressed concerns over it restricting strategy options.
The Italian manufacturer has mandated a 25-lap limit per stint at the Losail International Circuit after concerns prompted from analysis of last year’s event.
Pirelli noticed that “several tyres, particularly the left front, had reached the maximum wear level” due to teams attempting 30+ lap stints at the “very high energy circuit”.
So, it wanted drivers doing “safe mileage” during the 57-tour race, similarly to 2023 when there was an 18-lap limit – but kerb modifications avoided a repeat of that situation last year.
Mario Isola, Pirelli’s motorsport director, confirmed the decision was taken in March and sees 2025 as the perfect time to do it as “we can have a direct comparison with last year because the track is the same”.
The Italian also said that the limit only applies to the slick tyre – the hardest compound range of C1, C2 and C3 is available this weekend – before adding a disqualification could be the punishment for exceeding the limit.
He was then asked at last weekend’s Las Vegas GP if teams would still have to pit again should a safety car leave with 26 laps remaining.
Mario Isola, Racing Manager, Pirelli Motorsport
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
To which Isola replied: “It was clear in the definition that we put on the preview, in the prescriptions, that we count also laps behind the safety car.
“The only laps that are not counted are the ones after the chequered flag or the formation lap, to make stuff easy, because otherwise it is impossible. One, for us to make a calculation, and two, for you to understand what happened, and for spectators to understand what happened.
“It should be very clear. Each lap counts. And also when they are running in quali, they have maybe a cooldown lap, a push lap, a cooldown lap, whatever, all the laps are counted, otherwise it is impossible. You should define a limit, and under this limit it is not counted, above this limit it is counted.”
Isola therefore thinks there should be no grey area for teams to exploit, but should the pitlane be closed due for safety reasons – let’s say a driver has stopped at entry – then it’s “a decision of the race direction”, who can also “decide to extend the limit”.
There are concerns that being more or less forced into a two-stop strategy could limit variance, Sauber boss Jonathan Wheatley said “it’s just going to be a bit of a procession”, because there may only be a narrow, restricted window for teams to pit.
But Isola disagrees with such a notion, as he said: “In any case, the 25 laps on a 57 laps race is giving some flexibility. You are not obliged to stop at lap 24.
“You can play around that. Maybe someone could try to start on the soft and have a first stint that it is shorter, because in any case, they know they have to stop twice. So there is an indication of the result of this mileage limitation.”
Additional reporting by Filip Cleeren
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– The Autosport.com Team
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