Pirelli stepped into the void left by Bridgestone in 2011, when the Japanese manufacturer gave short notice it was quitting Formula One. The F1 powers that were had decided the sport was suffering from a lack of drama in its Grand Prix given the space age precision and subsequent huge improvements in reliability meant there was less uncertainty about the final result once the lights went out at the start of the races.
The Italian based tyre manufacturer was challenged with creating tyres that would degrade during the races with the hope different cars would suffer a loss of grip a different times, creating grip offsets which would create different pit stop strategies throughout the field.
On the whole the leap into the unknown for Pirelli has been a success, though in recent years there has been pressure from F1’s commercial rights owner to ensure the tyres they bring will create a minimum of a two stop strategy, adding to the uncertainty during the race of the final result.
Pirelli new tyre selection remains conservative
Formula One is racing this weekend for the fifth time in Jeddah, which is a high speed circuit with high track temperatures which should degrade the tyres more quickly than at other F1 venues. Yet the smoothness of the circuit mitigates against tyre wear and the previous runnings of the Saudi Grand Prix have seen the one stop strategy the plan the teams make before the lights go out.
To overcome this, Pirelli have brought tyres to Jeddah which are a step softer than last year. The hope being the that teams can’t make a one stop tyre change their default position but the way the team’s have mangled their tyre allocation across the weekend, suggests this is exactly what they believe they can do.
There are concerns about the tyre degradation this year in Saudi as evidenced by the F1 teams having refused to use their two new sets of hard tyres in the practices sessions. The white walled Pirelli was only seen as Aston Martin and Red Bull racing ran them for a couple of laps to put a heat cycle into the rubber, intended to ‘cure’ it and increase its longevity.
Yet the one stop race is firmly on everyone’s radar in Jeddah, given the degradation seen on the medium and soft tyres used before the Grand Prix on Sunday. Even Pirelli’s new soft tyre for this venue displayed little degradation in the first qualifying session, with a number of drivers doing a push lap, then cooling the tyres before going even faster on their second run on the same rubber.
A two stop is possible
Often the soft tyre is good for only one lap in the qualifying sessions, but such was its lack of degradation on the track beside the Red Sea , even the top teams only saved four new sets for qualifying on Saturday.
Now Pirelli have revealed the expected optimum tyre strategies for the race in Jeddah and its a one stop strategy expected again, although the teams saving two sets of hards is designed if there’s the predictable safety car in Jeddah, which to date has a 100% record of this occurring as Pirelli boss Mario isolated explains.
“There are a couple of reasons why many have opted to save two sets of this compound: firstly to be ready for any possible safety car situations, which have often been seen at this track and secondly, to have a backup in case there’s a significant step up in degradation tomorrow.
“Those starting from the back end of the grid might aim to make up positions by swapping the order of use of the compounds, (i.e. C4 medium then C3 hard) pitting from lap 30. A two-stopper is not too far off in terms of total time taken, with a difference of around 5 seconds and would again involve using the C3 and C4.
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“The C5 (soft) could be an option for drivers looking to make the most of its superior performance over the first few laps to make up places, or if there were to be a safety car in the closing stages of the race,” concluded the Italian.
So even by their own analysis after the practice sessions, Pirelli are admitting they are likely to fail in the target of bringing tyres which will make the race a two stopper. However, there are mitigating circumstances which F1’s tyre supplier must also consider at such a high speed circuit, they must bring tyres strong enough to cope with the bigger stresses from the higher downforce and cornering loads the cars experience here.
In terms of a race result, despite overtaking being tricky in Jeddah its unlikely there will be a skirmish into turn one. The problem for Oscar Piastri who is closest to Max on pole is that here the side of the grid he will start on is not used by the drivers during the sessions before the Grand Prix. Less rubber on the even starting numbered positions together with dust which collects there, means unless makes a hash of the start, he will arrive at turn one first.
100% record of a safety car in Saudi
George Russell is also hoping that he or Verstappen are leading after the early corners, as they are likely to drive at a slower pace compared to Piastri being in the lead, even the McLaren tyre wear on the long runs in practice were spectacularly superior to the rest of the field.
Decisions on pit stops will be vital for the teams but the random nature of a safety car may well leave even the best laid plans in tatters for the drivers who have already stopped for fresh rubber. The shortened time under the safety car will give those with ageing tyres but track position, the opportunity to take new tyres in around half the time as when the do so while the field is at full race speed.
Yet Max will feel confident given the pole sitter has gone on to win the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix in three of the four F1 weekends to date. But once again in terms of tyre degradation, should the hard tyre performs expected with no safety car the race will be just one stop, not the hoped for two.
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With over 30 years of experience in Formula 1 as an insider journalist, I have built trusted connections across the paddock, from race engineers and mechanics to senior team figures. At The Judge 13, I and a handful of trusted colleagues share exclusive Formula 1 news, expert analysis and behind-the-scenes stories you will not find in mainstream motorsport media.
