Qatar GP: New tyre rule defined for F1 2025 season’s penultimate race and what it means for Lusail weekend

While the three-way battle for Formula 1’s Drivers’ Championship inevitably takes centre stage on the Qatar Grand Prix, the season’s penultimate occasion additionally encompasses a particular tyre rule in place for this weekend.

What’s the regulation, why has it been launched and what affect may it have on Sunday’s crunch 57-lap race on the Lusail International Circuit? Read on to search out out…

What is the brand new tyre rule for Qatar?

Pirelli has imposed limits on the laps every set of tyres can full throughout the Qatar race weekend.

Each tyre set can cowl a most of 25 laps cumulatively by means of the weekend’s 5 monitor periods.

The solely laps not counted in direction of the totals are laps from the pit lane to the grid, formation laps and people accomplished after the chequered flag in Saturday’s Sprint and Sunday’s Grand Prix.

Pirelli will inform the groups forward of the Grand Prix what number of laps have been accomplished on their remaining tyre units. Due to the demanding nature of the Lusail monitor, Pirelli are bringing their three hardest compounds of their vary to the occasion – the C1 (exhausting), C2 (medium) and C3.(mushy).

Teams begin the occasion with two units of exhausting, 4 of medium and 6 of sentimental.

So what does all of it imply?

Over to Sky Sports F1’s Bernie Collins, former head of race technique at Aston Martin, to interrupt down a few of the key questions across the tyre laws for this weekend…

Why has the rule been launched?

Bernie Collins: “Qatar is a high-speed circuit that puts a lot of loads in the tyres.

“In 2023 we had fairly aggressive peaks within the kerbs that have been really chopping the sidewalls of the tyres, which is clearly very harmful because of the high-speed nature of the monitor and the hundreds the tyres are beneath.

“With the very hot conditions and the aggressive kerbs two years ago, they did enforce a structured tyre life of 18 laps, which was more restrictive than what we now have for this year.

“Those kerbs have been reprofiled earlier than final 12 months’s race, so that’s now not a problem. However, final 12 months we had a lot cooler situations in Qatar than we anticipated and that allowed groups to finish a one-stop technique as a result of there was little or no tyre degradation. That, mixed with fairly a protracted pit-loss time, pushed individuals to finish a one-stop technique and noticed some tyres attain most put on stage.

“The outer surface had basically worn away and you are on the construction of the tyre. Combined with the potential for the cuttings on the kerb when the tyre is very thin, that is what Pirelli are worried about.

“So carrying it to that very skinny stage, for those who get a reduce then it’s extremely harmful, in order that’s why they’ve introduced on this restrict of 25 laps based mostly on the 35 laps that they’d seen individuals full final 12 months.”

How will it change how teams prepare for the race?

Bernie: “The largest factor that it’s going to change is that it forces all groups right into a two-stop technique however with 25 laps and solely a 57-lap race there’s good variability in when you’ll be able to cease.

“So, unlike two years ago, I think there is a lot of variability possible in strategy.

“It will change how individuals use tyres and what tyres they save for the race. If the monitor temperature is cool sufficient it may have been a one-stop race once more with out this limitation so due to this fact groups are going to wish one other set for the race than they might in any other case have completed.

“They will also have to make sure the sets they have available don’t already have too many laps on them so that they leave themselves enough flexibility.

“I really assume it would push in direction of a soft-medium race or at the least two units of medium and one set of hards as a result of you aren’t going to be operating the tyre for a really very long time.

“So maybe the advantage of having a hard tyre isn’t as great as it would be if you were trying to one stop, for example.”

Anything else to contemplate?

Bernie: “One restriction with the 25 laps is what people can do under certain Safety Cars.

“Pitting beneath a Safety Car at first of the race with a broken entrance wing, for instance, would imply you’d nonetheless should cease two extra instances as a result of you’ll be able to’t get to the tip with two units of 25 laps.

“Equally, if the Safety Car comes out with 26 laps to go you can’t stop under that Safety Car so it is quite restrictive in some Safety Car situations and might lead to some oddities there.

“It additionally restricts the earliest that somebody can cease in a standard racing scenario.

“If you think someone wants to undercut a car ahead, for example, the earliest you can really stop is lap seven in order to have two 25-lap stints to the end. And, if you do stop on lap seven then, everyone knows exactly which lap you will stop on later on in the race – 32. So that will be interesting.”

Will the rule assist or hinder sure groups’ automobiles?

Bernie: “I think those that feel they have an advantage on tyre life will feel hindered by it. So maybe McLaren will feel hindered a little bit by it but teams that have better degradation than others will still have better degradation than others and maybe able to push the tyre a little bit harder in the two-stop.

“So I do not assume it is a huge professional or con.”

Sky Sports F1’s Qatar GP schedule

Friday November 28
11.05am: F2 Practice
1pm: Qatar GP Practice (session begins at 1.30pm)*
3.30pm: Team Bosses’ Press Conference
4.05pm: F2 Qualifying*
4.50pm: Qatar GP Sprint Qualifying (session begins at 5.30pm)*

Saturday November 29
1pm: Qatar GP Sprint build-up*
2pm: QATAR GP SPRINT*
3.30pm: Ted’s Sprint Notebook*
4.15pm: F2 Sprint
5.15pm: Qatar GP Qualifying build-up
6pm: QATAR GP QUALIFYING
8pm: Ted’s Qualifying Notebook

Sunday November 30
11.55am: F2 Feature
2.30pm: Grand Prix Sunday: Qatar GP build-up
4pm: THE QATAR GRAND PRIX
6pm: Chequered Flag: Qatar GP response
7pm: Ted’s Notebook

*additionally on Sky Sports Main Event

Formula 1’s season-ending triple header continues with the Qatar Grand Prix Sprint weekend stay on Sky Sports F1 from Friday. Stream Sky Sports with NOW – no contract, cancel anytime