This weekend, Pirelli reaches a major milestone, marking its 500th appearance as a tire supplier at a Formula 1 Grand Prix during the Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort. No other tire manufacturer has matched this achievement. To commemorate this event, all dry weather tires and the twenty competing cars display a special logo, first revealed at a 75th anniversary Formula 1 celebration in London earlier this year on February 18.
Action-Packed Practice Sessions Highlight Early Competition in Zandvoort
The opening day of the Dutch Grand Prix was eventful, with both free practice sessions interrupted multiple times as several drivers lost control and hit the barriers. Despite these stoppages, McLaren’s Lando Norris dominated the timing sheets, setting the fastest lap in both FP1 with 1’10”278 and FP2 with 1’09”890. Norris’s teammate Oscar Piastri also performed strongly, posting a 1’09”979 in the afternoon. Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso was closely behind with a best lap of 1’09”977, splitting the two McLarens.
Diverse Tire Strategies Reflect Track and Weather Conditions
Although weather forecasts threatened rain, teams remained cautious and kept rain tires unused throughout the sessions. Nine drivers chose to run on their allotted Hard compound tires during practice, including Yuki Tsunoda in FP1 and drivers such as Charles Leclerc, Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen, George Russell, Lawson, Hadjar, Albon, and Carlos Sainz in FP2. Racing Bull’s French driver faced a technical issue early in the session, preventing any laps on the C2 compound. Similarly, Antonelli went off track early in FP1. Mercedes’ Italian driver focused on the Soft tires by running two sets of the C4 compound, making him the only driver with two sets each of Hard and Medium tires remaining for the weekend. Meanwhile, the other competitors mostly held on to two sets of Medium and one set of Hard tires, with the exception of those using Soft tires for qualifying.
Insights from Pirelli’s Chief Engineer on Tire Performance and Race Prospects
Simone Berra, Pirelli’s Chief Engineer, described the busy practice sessions as
“quite an interesting day, with plenty of action as the teams strived to make the most of the time available, compromised by several interruptions across the two hours of free practice.”
He emphasized that all three tire compounds—Hard, Medium, and Soft—seemed capable of playing important roles during the race.
Berra noted,
“The Hard proved to be the most durable with the least level of abrasion but, with temperatures like those we saw today this could be slightly penalising in terms of warm-up and performance. The Medium offers the best balance between performance and degradation, but the Soft also seemed competitive over a long run on some cars. The C4 saw drivers make a bigger step in terms of performance compared to the C3 than we had expected, without as mentioned earlier, suffering too much over longer runs.”
Track Evolution and Team Tire Choices Point to Dynamic Race Strategies
The track got significantly quicker during the two sessions as the racing line gradually got cleaner, removing the sand blown in on the wind. Less significant was the improvement from one session to the next, as only one support series was on track in between them. In terms of tyre use, it’s interesting to see how the teams were split almost equally between those choosing to have two Mediums and one Hard per driver for the rest of the weekend and those who favoured the C3 at the expense of the C4. It means the third free practice session should be particularly interesting. In terms of strategy, possibly even more so than previously thought, the choice between one and two stops is wide open, especially now that the Soft is a viable option.
—Pirelli PR
As the track conditions improved throughout the sessions with more grip due to the clearing of sand, teams showed varied approaches to tire allocation. Some favored more Medium tires while others preferred additional Soft compounds, leaving strategic choices for the race wide open. This variability indicates that the upcoming practice sessions and the race itself will feature multiple viable pit stop strategies.
Looking Ahead: What This Milestone Means for Pirelli and Formula 1
The 500th Formula 1 weekend for Pirelli not only highlights the company’s enduring commitment to the sport but also showcases its continuous innovation in tire technology. The range of tire compounds provided for this Grand Prix, including the specific performances noted from the Hard, Medium, and Soft tires, emphasizes how tire development is integral to race competitiveness and strategy. With key drivers such as Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri, Fernando Alonso, and Max Verstappen posting close lap times, the tire choices will be instrumental as teams and drivers prepare for qualifying and the race.
As the weekend progresses, monitoring how strategies evolve with weather conditions and track changes will be important for understanding which tire compounds will ultimately determine success at the Dutch Grand Prix, underscoring the significance of Pirelli’s role in Formula 1’s technical landscape.
