Mandatory FIA tyre rule issued for Canadian Grand Prix

The FIA have confirmed some major changes to tyre allocations for teams ahead of the F1 Canadian Grand Prix.

There is a new tyre compound available during weekends in 2025, with the C6 tyre a step softer than anything else from the 2024 season, and it made its debut at the Emilia Romagna GP earlier this year.

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That tyre will once again be on show in Montreal, with the C6 tyre making up the softest option for the weekend, likely to be used by all drivers in Q3 during qualifying.

An official FIA statement has revealed that the C4, C5 and C6 will be the three tyres on offer for teams throughout the weekend, on top of intermediate and full wet tyres, which may need to be used for race day on Sunday.

This tyre allocation marks a huge change to the Spanish GP last time out, where the three options for teams were the C1s, C2s and the C3 was the softest option.

That race was won by Oscar Piastri, as McLaren continued their dominance over the rest of the field with a one-two, with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc rounding out the podium.

New tyre designed to shake things up

The Canadian GP will be the third time in 2025 that the new C6 has been available, and it represents a change from the 2024 Canadian GP, which saw the C3, C4 and C5 tyres being used across the weekend.

Max Verstappen heads into the Canadian GP needing a good performance, after a disastrous Spanish GP sees him sat 49 points behind championship leader Piastri.

Part of Verstappen's problem in Spain was his inability to beat the McLaren duo in qualifying, with Red Bull's lack of pace to their rivals making his best chance of a victory if he can start on pole and control the race.

In this sense, the Dutchman will be hoping the use of the new tyre in Q3 can shake things up, although both Imola and Monaco saw a McLaren claim pole.

Verstappen will also head into the Montreal weekend knowing he needs to be on his best behaviour, after an incident involving George Russell at the Spanish GP last time out has put him one penalty point away from a one-race ban - something that would surely be fatal to his championship chances.

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