Why Pirelli's hardest range will be used in Japan

A must-see event on the calendar and popular with drivers, the Japanese Grand Prix (April 4-6) will pose a challenge for the paddock this year. Similar to China a few days ago, the main competitors will discover a somewhat remodeled Suzuka circuit.

This isn't a change to the circuit's shape itself, but rather a resurfacing of a large portion of the track. The track has been resurfaced from the exit of the final chicane to the end of the first sector. That's just over a third of the 5,8 kilometers of tarmac.

Degradation at the heart of concerns?

To protect itself, Pirelli took no risks and opted for continuity. The Italian manufacturer decided to offer teams the same range as last year, namely the hardest: C1, C2, and C3.

This is also the first time that the teams will have the C1 tire at their disposal this season. Of the three, it is the one that most resembles its 2024 version, while the C2, and especially the C3, have undergone the most changes in terms of performance, being softer than last year. It will therefore be up to the teams to implement the best possible management of their allocation to avoid any pitfalls during the race when degradation could animate the Grand Prix. This was already the case in China when Pirelli had to increase the minimum tire pressure to counter this phenomenon during the weekend.

The exclusive supplier of F1 remains optimistic about the track performance. He predicts faster lap times after collecting all the data provided by the teams and running his simulations. These simulations indicate times that are a second and a half faster. This remains to be seen during the first laps on Friday.

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