Pirelli has confirmed that several Formula 1 tyres used on Friday in Qatar were found with unexpected cuts, raising fresh concerns ahead of the Sprint and the Grand Prix. The issue was discovered after sprint qualifying, and although Pirelli had already limited each tyre set to a maximum of 25 laps due to expected wear, this new problem has added further uncertainty. As the company explained, this limit is “different to last year” because the current issue is not related to the kerbs, which have since been modified.

According to Pirelli, the cuts were caused by drivers running across the gravel while pushing for lap time. As they rejoined the circuit, they dragged stones back onto the racing line, damaging tyres for the rest of the field. Chief engineer Simone Berra revealed that the inspection showed “several cuts on the tread, all the corners affected,” and added that this was “mainly due to the gravel traps that we have here.” He noted that the circuit has added more gravel strips compared to 2023, which has made the problem more visible.

Berra highlighted that some of the damage was more serious than expected. “We have seen some quite deep gravel cuts,” he said, quoted by The Race. “Some of them were very deep.” In a few cases, the slicing reached the tyre’s construction layer, which can be dangerous over long runs. “They reached the construction but they didn’t cut any cords, luckily,” he confirmed. However, he warned that “if you expose the construction and you pass continuously on this gravel, then you can risk having a puncture.”

Pirelli has also warned that the gravel used in Qatar is sharper than at most other tracks. Berra described it as “quite sharp because it has generated these cuts quite easily” and added that “it seems sharper than other circuits.” This unusual surface characteristic has made the tyre behaviour harder to predict and has increased the need for caution.

Despite all this, Pirelli is not introducing emergency measures for now. Berra said, “At the moment we are not, let’s say, concerned,” but stressed that teams must be aware of “possible implications during the Sprint and during the race.” The FIA will also monitor the situation and may intervene with a Safety Car or a red flag if too much gravel builds up on the circuit. As Berra noted, “The FIA will monitor the situation… and they can possibly use a red flag or a Safety Car to clean the track.”