Lando and Oscar will need to make two pit stops each at this weekend’s Qatar Grand Prix, with Pirelli restricting each set of tyres to a maximum of 25 laps of the Lusail International Circuit.
The 19-lap Sprint will be unaffected, but the 57-lap Grand Prix will require teams to change their tyres at least twice, presenting teams with a unique strategic challenge.
Only racing laps will count, including those completed behind the Safety Car or Virtual Safety Car, but laps to the grid, formation laps, and post-race in-laps will not.
The decision was made following talks with the teams and the FIA in response to the “extreme” wear and degradation the tyres suffered in 2024. A combination of the Lusail International Circuit’s smooth yet abrasive surface, the circuit’s high-speed characteristics, and the country’s warm climate resulted in the compounds reaching their “maximum wear level”.
No regulations were put in place for 2024, but this isn’t the first time a lap count has been imposed on tyres in Qatar, with an 18-lap maximum stint implemented for the race in 2023.