The Qatar Grand Prix weekend will take place under unusually strict tyre management rules after Pirelli, in agreement with the FIA and Formula 1, confirmed that each tyre set may complete no more than 25 laps in total. The regulation, published in the event-specific technical document sent to teams, applies cumulatively across all sessions – from practice to the sprint and the Grand Prix itself.

The cap includes laps driven behind the Safety Car or Virtual Safety Car, reflecting Pirelli’s determination to protect the tyres from the high-energy demands of the Lusail track. Only formation laps, laps to the grid, and post-race in-laps will be excluded from the count.

With the race itself covering 57 laps, every driver will be forced to make at least two pit stops. Before lights out, Pirelli will also provide each team with the exact remaining lap allowance for every set in their allocation.

Why the limit was introduced

Pirelli’s decision follows in-depth analysis of the 2024 Qatar GP, where several tyres  (especially the front-left) approached maximum wear levels. The combination of aggressive lateral forces and thermal stress increased structural fatigue and, according to Pirelli, created a clear safety concern.

Last season, teams tried to minimise pit stops by managing degradation more cautiously, sometimes stretching stints too far into the tyre’s critical zone. The new limit is designed to prevent those borderline situations and enforce safer stint lengths.

Not the first Qatar precaution, but a different one

A safety-driven restriction was also used in 2023, though for different reasons. That year, repeated running over specific kerbs caused micro-cuts in tyre sidewalls, prompting the FIA to impose stint limits mid-weekend. Modified kerbs and added gravel sections solved that issue in 2024, but the current rule focuses purely on tyre wear and load.

Hardest compounds for a Sprint weekend

As previously confirmed, Qatar will use Pirelli’s hardest trio of compounds:

• C1 (Hard)
• C2 (Medium)
• C3 (Soft)

Because this is a Sprint weekend, each driver receives 2 sets of Hards, 4 sets of Mediums, and 6 sets of Softs