The grid is ready for the Formula 1 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
Oscar Piastri clinched pole position on Saturday, with Max Verstappen right behind him and George Russell in third, while his McLaren teammate Lando Norris secured fourth place.
As the 20 drivers gear up to race, there are some intriguing tire strategies to consider.
What transpired at the 2024 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix?
Held under clear skies and without safety car interruptions, the 2024 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix unfolded quite smoothly. Most of the top 10 drivers opted for medium tires at the start and later switched to hard compounds, sticking largely to the anticipated one-stop race strategy.
The front row included Verstappen, Norris, and Charles Leclerc in that order. Norris was the first to pit, changing to hard tires on lap 22, followed by Verstappen three laps later. As the race progressed, Norris’ hard tires performed well, allowing him to finish second to the Red Bull driver.
In the midfield, Piastri managed to come in fifth. Initially, he faced a third-place grid penalty for blocking Kevin Magnussen but still employed an undercut strategy effectively. He started on medium tires, swapped to hard on lap 23, and climbed to P4 ahead of Carlos Sainz Jr.
Sainz couldn’t catch up, finishing over seven seconds behind Piastri.
The top driver utilizing a two-stop strategy was George Russell, who ended up in seventh place and clinched bonus points for the fastest lap. Starting on medium tires, he pitted for hard ones on lap 21 and then switched back to mediums on lap 52. Concerns about tire wear meant he ended the race six seconds ahead of Sergio Perez.
What tire options are available for the 2025 race?
This is where it gets interesting.
Pirelli has opted for a softer range of compounds this year. C3 served as Imola’s hard tire, with C4 as the medium and C5 as the soft. New this year, however, was the introduction of the C6 as a soft compound, bumping C5 to medium and C4 to hard. Pirelli aimed to provide more strategic options during the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
But, it seems the drivers and teams aren’t too fond of the C6 just yet. The unique layout of Imola does pose challenges; tires may degrade towards the end of the lap, especially in qualifying. In the most recent qualifying session, some teams, particularly Aston Martin, turned to the medium C5 for better performance on push laps, successfully making it into Q3.
Pirelli’s motorsport director, Mario Isola, remarked that qualifying provided critical insights on tire performance. He noted how the differences between the C5 and C6 compounds were relatively minor, stating it was tough for drivers to maximize the C6’s potential on a circuit that hadn’t changed much since free practice.
Isola added that while some drivers preferred the more familiar C5 for its reliability, especially considering its use in previous races, the strategic choices for the race remain complex.
What strategies should teams consider?
Isola remains convinced that a one-stop strategy—beginning on medium tires and switching to hard—is still the best option for teams.
“With overtaking being tricky and only one DRS zone on the track, especially with the long pit lane time losses, a single stop makes sense,” he stated. Some drivers might aim for a hard tire start, extending their initial stint to capitalize on potential safety car periods, which could be beneficial for drivers like Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, starting in P11 and P12, respectively.
There’s also the option of starting with a two-stop strategy, though Isola believes this presents more risks because of the track’s characteristics. He noted that while two stops might not significantly extend overall race time, the layout favors a single stop due to the challenges involved.
Finally, regarding tire allocation, the medium tires may be favored, but the top 10 drivers will need to manage their sets wisely, particularly Russell, Alonso, and Norris, who have already scrubbed some mediums.
It appears Aston Martin may be assessing their tire strategy as Alonso has just hard tires left for the upcoming race.
