Pirelli has announced that, for the Miami and Emilia-Romagna Grands Prix, their tyres will be a step softer than last season, in order to widen strategic options.

This means that, at Imola, the all-new C6 compound will be making its debut, the softest in the Pirelli range that had initially been designed for low-wearing circuits, with Pirelli motorsport director Mario Isola acknowledging the on-track action at Suzuka at the weekend “wasn’t particularly exciting.”

Pirelli take ‘proactive’ action with C6 tyre debut at Imola

George Russell was among those to say that the tyre compound selection in Japan was too hard for the circuit, meaning variation beyond a one-stop strategy was not an option at the weekend.

Drivers found that they were able to create one-stop races in China the previous weekend, too, having had initial predictions for a two-stopper in Shanghai.

In nominating its tyre compounds for Miami and Imola, however, Pirelli has taken action by moving one step softer than last season – choosing the C3, C4 and C5 tyres for Miami, while using the C4, C5 and all-new C6 compound at Imola.

The C6 compound had been tested in Mexico City and Abu Dhabi last season, and circuits like Monaco, Singapore, Montreal and Las Vegas had all been highlighted as potential venues for Pirelli’s new tyre, but in their bid to help “create the conditions for unpredictable and spectacular races”, the new compound will debut at Imola.

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“For 2025, we have a wider range of options compared to last year: there is more effective spacing between the various compounds in terms of performance and, overall, they seem to be less prone to both tread surface overheating and graining,” Isola said.

“This also allows us to experiment with new solutions, making choices that can lead to a variety of valid strategies, both in terms of tyre usage and number of pit stops.

“We are well aware that teams and drivers have become very adept at managing and looking after their tyres to get the best possible race result, and that the drivers always want to push to the limit to experience the thrills that only a Formula 1 car can offer.

“We had further confirmation of this last Sunday in Suzuka, where, even in a race that wasn’t particularly exciting in terms of on-track action, everyone said they were pleased to be able to continually get their lap times down right to the end of each stint.

“However, we must balance this with the shared desire among all key stakeholders in our sport to create the conditions for unpredictable and spectacular races.

“Tyres and their behaviour are an important part of that picture and as a partner of Formula 1, we want to be proactive in this regard.”

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