For the Belgian Grand Prix (July 25-27), disputed at the hearts of the Ardennes on the Spa-Francorchamps circuit, Pirelli chose, for the first time in the season, three compounds which are not consecutive. Thus, scheduled for this weekend, the hard tire, the C1, is the hardest gum of the 2025 range of the Italian manufacturer.
Then there is a jump to the medium (C3) and the tender (C4). Such a choice had no longer occurred since the Australian Grand Prix 2022, when the trio was made up of C2 in hard, C3 in medium and C5 in tender. This year, C3 and C4 are the same as in 2024.
In addition, Pirelli indicates that the C1-C3-C4 compounds should “Make an even more competitive two-stop strategy for Sunday race, while adding an additional degree of uncertainty in tire management throughout the weekend”.
Who says weekend sprint in Belgium says different tire allowance
Obviously, as it is a Sprint weekend, with only an hour of free tests and a different allowance of gums for dry time, the regulations evolve concerning the number of available tire trains. There will therefore be one less than compared to a “normal” round.
Thus, each pilot will have 12 trains in Belgium, six of tender, four of mediums and two of hard. In addition, only mediums will be authorized for the first two phases of Sprint qualifications. And the tender will have to be used in the third.
Finally, with a weather that promises to be changing throughout the weekend, it is not excluded that intermediate and rain tires are used. This was notably the case last year during the qualifications.
Read also> What weather expected for the Belgian Grand Prix?
