The Qatar GP 25-Lap Tyre Limit Explained

There's an unusual element that's in play for this year's Qatar GP after Pirelli announced a limit on the number of laps each tyre can do around the Lusail International Circuit.

No driver can take any set of Pirelli rubber around the track for more than 25 laps in the interests of safety for the 2025 edition of the race.

But what's behind this rare ruling, has F1 seen anything like this in the past, and what should you expect from Sunday's race? Let's dive in.

Pirelli, F1's sole tyre suppliers, has made the decision to limit the laps a tyre can do in conjunction with the FIA and Formula 1 itself after last year's Qatar GP.

The Italian manufacturer found instances where the tyres had reached their maximum wear level when analysing the returned tyre sets, with the left-front being particularly impacted.

With those competing in the sport always looking for ways to run the fastest race, teams attempted to manage the tyres in 2024 and pit fewer times, possibly taking the a tyre set past what Pirelli call its 'useful life'.

Imposing a 25-lap limit prevents this overextension, and therefore the risk that a car would run any compound past an unsafe level of structural construction.

The lateral energy levels put through the tyres around Qatar is responsible for this stress, with the issues seen in 2023 around the pyramid kerbs not being a factor for this 2025 decision.

Each set's 25-lap limit will include any laps done across any session. If a driver uses a set for a three-lap run in Sprint Qualifying, for example, they'll only be able to use them for 22 laps in the remaining sessions.

There are, however, some laps which will not count to the limit, with any laps to the grid, formation laps, and those completed after the chequered flag not being included.

There are, arguably, tyre limits in every dry F1 race according to the modern rules, with every driver needing to run two compounds across a grand prix's distance.

However, it's possible for a car to pit on Lap 1 and finish the race on their second set of tyres, which is quite a different limit to what is in place for the 2025 Qatar GP.

The 2023 Qatar GP might be closest to this year's implementation. After the micro-lacerations from the kerbs were found to damage the tyres' sidewalls and four blowouts from the 2021 race, an 18-lap limit was introduced for the grand prix only.

That limit led to a three-stop strategy for all drivers, with the race being a 57-lap event.

Monaco saw a similar mandatory pit stop situation earlier this year, although the ruling did not stipulate any maximum stint length.

All drivers had to execute two stops over the 78-lap distance, and our strategists had Alex and Carlos play the team game to score a double-points finish.

This 25-lap limit will open up some interesting strategic thinking for those on the pit wall up and down the grid.

If a driver tries to go to the end of a race on the same set of tyres they started on, other teams will know they'll need to stop before the final lap. Just look at Alex's tyre-whispering antics from the 2022 Australian GP for an example.

That's usually the only time a team will know when a rival will stop, but that's not the case for Qatar this weekend, with all strategists sure to keep any eye out on how many laps cars around them have had on a tyre set.

Should any driver make a second stop before Lap 32, they'll have to stop again, so expect to see everyone stretching their tyres out until then to avoid an unnecessary trip through the pit lane.

With laps under the Safety Car and VSC also counting to the limit (something that wasn't the case in 2023), we could see teams holding off on bringing their drivers in for a 'cheap' pit stop depending on how many laps remain, despite it usually being seen as an advantage.

Sprint returns this weekend, too, limiting the laps of possible learning to just 60 minutes in the solitary Free Practice session.

Understanding the performance of the C1, C2, and C3 tyres around Lusail is crucial in the decision-making process to choose the best compound for the race, which still has a two-compound requirement.

Saturday's Sprint, too, will see the drivers juggling which compound won't run out of grip by the end of the 19 laps without sacrificing performance.

It's going to be a fascinating weekend.