The decision comes after checks carried out on the Lusail circuit: the high wear forces teams into two-stop strategies.
Pirelli has made official a special measure for the Qatar Grand Prix: each tyre set may be used for a maximum of 25 laps, with no exceptions.
A decision that arrived after the inspections conducted on the Lusail track, where the manufacturer detected a particularly critical level of wear, with the tyres (especially the front-left, due to the layout of the circuit near the capital Doha) once again under more stress than expected.
The rule also includes laps completed under Safety Car or Virtual Safety Car, a detail that effectively turns the race into an event with at least two mandatory pit stops for all drivers. Two stops therefore are not mandatory in the strictest sense, but only de facto, since every 25 laps (at most) it will be necessary to pit.
Pirelli also clarified that this choice is not linked to the structural problems of 2023 — already completely resolved — but is a preventive measure, designed to manage the extreme loads that the Qatar circuit imposes on the tyres, especially in high-speed corners.
Photo: Formula 1
