Azerbaijan Grand Prix set for major change ahead of F1 street race

A major change has been announced ahead of this weekend’s race as F1 heads to Baku for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Monza marked the end of the European season, with Lando Norris narrowing the gap in the standings to team-mate Oscar Piastri by 31 points.

As the title race continues to bubble away, Pirelli have announced a change for the Azerbaijan GP which could enhance this weekend's spectacle.

F1’s tyre supplier will bring the softest trio of compounds to Baku, with the C6 returning as the soft tyre, after its debut in Imola, Monaco and Montreal.

The C5 will act as the medium compound, while the C4 will be the hard tyre, with Pirelli changing their selection and opting for a softer set compared to 2024.

Why have Pirelli opted for the softest F1 tyres for Baku?

At the Baku City Circuit, there are low levels of tyre wear, which means if Pirelli opted for the same compound as 2024 there would be a high chance of the 2025 race being a one-stop.

There’s hope from Pirelli that the softer compounds will open up the possibility of a two-stop race. However, there is no guarantee teams will be forced into a two stop, referencing Monza as an example of how well drivers have managed their tyres this year.

In regards to how much time a driver can lose in the pits in Baku, even with a target pit stop time of 2.5 seconds, they will lose 19.8 seconds coming in and out of the pits.

Last year in Baku, 14 drivers started the race on the medium (C4) tyres, while the rest of the grid started on the hard compound (C3). Pierre Gasly completed a stellar 50 laps on the hard, and only pitted for soft tyres on the penultimate lap of the race.

The only other drivers to make a second stop did so either because they were forced to or for strategic reasons, with Lance Stroll suffering a puncture and Max Verstappen pitting for the fastest lap point - which has been removed in 2025.

While there is no guarantee the softest compound will promote varied strategies, the street circuit has a high chance of a safety car (listed as 57 per cent in 2024), with it's narrow winding corners welcoming multiple drivers over the years - see Charles Leclerc in the castle section.

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