Pirelli: 500 GPs and a new set of tires for 2025
As winter testing began in Bahrain, Simone Berra, chief engineer at Pirelli, detailed the tire manufacturer's strategy for the 2025 season. The introduction of a new compound and the ongoing battle against overheating are the cornerstones for the Italian brand's engineers. This year is set to be particularly special for Pirelli as they celebrate their 500th Grand Prix.
All eyes are currently on Bahrain this week, where Formula 1 teams are starting winter testing. While the new cars are in the spotlight, the tires also play a very important role in race strategy.
Drawing on his experience with Brembo (an Italian company specializing in braking), Simone Berra, chief engineer at Pirelli, now leads a team of about fifty people responsible for Pirelli’s track operations.
The Bahrain tests are a strategic moment for gathering essential information on the recent tires, following initial tests at Paul Ricard and Barcelona. “Three days of pre-season testing are essential for understanding the characteristics of the new cars and for Pirelli, it’s an opportunity to analyze its latest developments,” explains Berra.
Read also: Bahrain Winter Testing – Day 2: Sainz ahead of the Ferraris, McLaren keeps its strategy under wraps
The Pirelli team works in collaboration with all the racing teams, with each engineer being assigned to a team for a period of two years to ensure maximum objectivity.
The tests in Abu Dhabi at the end of the season, with the 2024 tires and the new version of the 2025 tires, provided an important working base. Nearly 15,000 kilometers were covered, generating a massive amount of data to analyze over the winter. We receive the telemetry from the teams, which is crucial for us, notes Berra. We verify the consistency of the data with the teams’ performances, lap times, etc.
Pirelli’s main goal for 2025 is to reduce overheating, a recurring issue over the past two seasons. The initial results are encouraging, particularly concerning the performance gap between the C2 and C3 compounds.
Pirelli plans a major innovation for 2025, namely the introduction of a sixth type of tire, the C6, an ultra-soft tire designed for urban circuits. Tested in Abu Dhabi, it showed great potential, even on a circuit not ideal for this type of tire. It’s a first encouraging sign for the teams, and it allows us to collect more data, emphasizes Berra.
C1 is the hardest tire and C6 is extra soft. Tires with colored sidewalls have a softer compound than those with only the logo.
The 2025 Formula 1 season promises to be exciting according to a majority of the paddock, with a calendar of 24 races and an unprecedented official presentation at the O2 Arena in London, which brought together all the teams for the first time. Pirelli, with its tire innovations, will be a major player this season, contributing to performance and spectacle on the track. The goal is clear: to provide high-performance tires, limiting overheating and allowing drivers to fully exploit the potential of their cars.
500 Grand Prix
Formula 1 celebrated its 75th anniversary with a spectacular event at the O2 Arena in London. For the first time, teams and drivers were presented together during a unique evening combining sport and entertainment, with musical performances by world-renowned artists. This year 2025 is also historic for Pirelli, which will celebrate its 500th Grand Prix. After 485 participations, the Italian manufacturer will reach this symbolic milestone at Zandvoort on August 31, before continuing the celebrations the following week in Monza.
