This weekend’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola marks a crucial experiment for Formula 1 and tyre supplier Pirelli, as the softest compound in the latter’s 2025 range – the brand-new C6 – makes its competitive debut.
Deployed alongside the C5 (medium) and C4 (hard) compounds, the red-walled C6 will serve as the official soft tyre for the seventh round of the 2025 F1 season.
The decision to bring the ultra-soft compound to a permanent circuit – rather than a typical street track for which it was originally designed – signals a bold push to reintroduce variability in race strategy after a string of one-stop races has dominated the year so far.
Aggressive Choice for a Conservative Circuit
Imola is known for its long 548-meter pitlane and limited overtaking zones, making teams reluctant to pit more than once. Yet Pirelli hopes the softer compound’s potential for higher degradation might force teams to roll the dice.
“For Imola it is quite an aggressive choice,” said Pirelli motorsport boss Mario Isola, quoted by The Race.
“It was designed for street circuits or low severity circuits. And Imola is not so low. It is on the low side, but it's not as low as a street circuit like Monaco.”
The low-abrasion nature of the Imola track encouraged Pirelli to test the C6 here for the first time, despite teams having only run it briefly during pre-season testing in Bahrain.
However, Sakhir’s high-degradation conditions made it an unreliable indicator of how the tyre might perform under typical race conditions.
“I want to wait for Imola to understand how the C6 is working in a situation that is closer to race conditions,” added Isola. “I don’t want to say tests are not a real representation of performance, but it is only during a race weekend you can get some better data on how a tyre performs.”
With little data available, teams are expected to treat the C6 with caution. While its grip advantage could make it the top choice for qualifying, few anticipate it will be durable enough for race conditions – unless degradation levels force a rethink.
A Tyre Strategy Dilemma
So far in 2024, only Australia (due to weather) and Bahrain (with its rough surface) have required more than one pit stop. That’s a problem for Formula 1, which has long sought to make two-stop strategies the norm to boost on-track action.
The FIA has even floated the idea of lifting pitlane speed limits at select circuits to reduce the penalty of additional stops.
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Isola emphasized that while Pirelli continues to engineer tyres that may prompt more pit stops, the teams’ advanced simulations and strategy tools often find ways to neutralize those efforts.
“It's a never-ending story, because we try to create an issue for the teams and they find their solution,” he said.
“They are in competition, and they must find the best strategy. If the best strategy is managing the tyre and reducing the pace to a one-stop, then they do that.
“So we try to give them something with higher degradation, and they learn how to use it. We go softer, and they understand how to modify the approach. It's funny sometimes, but it is what it is.”
Read also: Pirelli answers call - goes soft to break F1’s one-stop rut
If the introduction of the C6 fails to produce greater strategic variation this weekend, Pirelli may adopt a new approach by deliberately widening the performance gap between compound choices.
“When we get the answers from Imola, we can try to simulate some other races to see if skipping one level works,” Isola explained. “For example, between the C3 and C4, the delta lap time is quite close. So maybe for some races we can consider the C2, the C4, and C5.
“It would mean that if you want to go on a one-stop with the C2 and C4, then the C2 is obviously slower and you will not have the same kind of advantage as you do when we nominate the C3, C4 and C5.”
Looking Ahead
Pirelli has already locked in its compound selections for the upcoming races in Monaco and Canada – both using the same soft C4/C5/C6 configuration as Imola.
Barcelona, by contrast, will feature the hardest trio: C1/C2/C3. The data collected from this range of circuits will help Pirelli and the FIA assess whether the C6 is viable for regular race use or whether further adjustments are necessary.
As Formula 1 continues its quest to deliver more varied and unpredictable racing, Imola will be a key test.
But the question remains whether Pirelli’s softest-ever compound can tip the balance away from strategic conservatism – and back toward more thrilling, multi-stop battles.
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