George Russell gets his way as F1 rule change announced

Mercedes F1 star George Russell seems to have got his way, following comments made last year about Pirelli tyres, as new rules have been agreed by F1 for the upcoming Qatar Grand Prix.

Pirelli recommendations were released earlier this week, suggesting that tyres at the Lusail International Circuit later this month should not go more than 25 laps due to the increased energy and thermal stress that are put on the tyres in hot conditions at that particular event.

The statement also confirmed that, following agreement from both the FIA and F1, the Qatar GP would be a mandatory two-stop race to counteract this problem.

It will be the second mandatory two-stop race of the season, after similar rules were put in place for the Monaco GP earlier this year, although that decision was made for entertainment purposes rather than as a result of tyre stress.

But these new regulations for Qatar may have Mercedes driver Russell feeling pretty smug. The Brit spoke on a few occasions last year about the discrepancies in the performance of his Mercedes car based purely off the tyres that had been fitted.

Speaking after the 2024 Azerbaijan GP when he had struggled on the medium compound tyres, Russell told F1 media: "Honestly, it is actually pretty infuriating that it changes this much.

"It’s not just the Mercedes, it’s every team and every driver. One session, you’re fast, the next you’re not. And there’s only one thing that changes.

"It’s black magic. I think even the people who make the tyres don’t understand the tyres.

"I think we all need probably serious conversations again about what’s going on, because we’ve got 2,000 people working their butts off to deliver the fastest car.

"20 laps of the race, we had a car that was comfortable of fighting for victory, the 20 other laps we had a car that probably shouldn’t have been in the points - and the only difference is the tyres and it’s not good enough, really."

The British driver also complained of the narrow window available on Pirelli's tyres at last year's Singapore GP, and will be hopeful that the change will work in his favour at the 2025 race in Qatar, under usually hot conditions that in the past, have proved tricky for Mercedes to contend with, even without tyre concerns.

Pirelli's full statement on Qatar GP changes

After this weekend's Las Vegas GP, Qatar will mark the penultimate race in this season's championship battle, and the decision to enforce all teams to complete a minimum of two pit stops could have ramifications for the title race.

As it stands, Max Verstappen is sat 49 points behind McLaren's Lando Norris, and Red Bull will need to try different things strategy-wise in the last three race weekends to try and get their driver back into the fight.

However, at the Qatar GP, there will be less flexibility in strategy, unless they want to try a highly aggressive three-stopper which may just prove to be one stop too many given it's just a 57-lap race where rain will not be a factor given the dry nature of the Qatar desert.

The statement that Pirelli put out about tyre wear at the Lusail International Circuit later this month read: "In Qatar, a limit will be introduced for the number of laps that each set of tyres can cover over the course of the whole race weekend.

"The decision, taken in agreement with the FIA and Formula 1 and discussed in regular meetings with the teams, is confirmed today by Pirelli through the usual technical document containing event specific prescriptions sent out two weeks prior to each grand prix.

"Every set of tyres supplied to the teams at the start of the race weekend can cover a maximum of 25 laps of the Lusail track, which is very demanding on tyres in terms of energy, thermal stress and wear. The laps will be counted cumulatively across all track session, including laps run under the safety car or virtual safety car.

"Laps to the grid and formation laps and those completed after the chequered flag in the sprint and the grand prix will not be included in the count. As the Qatar Grand Prix is run over 57 laps, each driver will inevitably have to change tyres at least twice.

"Before the start of the grand prix, Pirelli will inform the teams how many laps are still available for each set."

"This measure has been deemed necessary, following analysis of the tyres used in 2024," the statement continued. "Last year, several tyres, particularly the left front, had reached the maximum wear level. These conditions, combined with the high lateral energy had increased the structural fatigue of the construction.

"In order to reduce the number of pit stops, the teams had worked on tyre degradation management, limiting performance drop off, which sometimes ran the risk of extending the stint beyond the useful life of the tyre.

"A similar precautionary measure had already been introduced at this track in 2023, although that was for different problems which are now resolved.

"That year, repeatedly going over some kerbs had led to micro-lacerations in the tyres’ sidewalls. Last year, the subsequent modification to the pyramid kerbs along with the addition of strips of gravel around them, had avoided a repetition of this situation.

"As already announced, Qatar will see the use of the hardest compounds in the Pirelli range: C1 as hard, C2 as medium and C3 as soft. As this is a sprint weekend, each driver will be supplied with two sets of hard, four of medium and six of soft."

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