Today, he completed the clean sweep by adding success in Sunday’s race. Behind the Dutchman, Charles Leclerc finished second, while Kimi Antonelli claimed third place.

The Italian further extended his advantage in the World Championship standings, thanks in part to the ninth-place finish of his closest title rival and team-mate, George Russell.

The strategies adopted by the top three finishers differed slightly. Verstappen opted for a one-stop race, while Leclerc and Antonelli took advantage of a Virtual Safety Car period to make a second pit stop.

All three drivers on the podium started on the Soft before switching to the Medium. After the first tyre change, Leclerc and Antonelli pitted again on lap 39 to fit a fresh set of Soft tyres during the neutralisation. Verstappen did not take advantage of the VSC and, after completing 32 laps on his starting Soft compound, switched to the Medium and took it all the way to the chequered flag.

Only the Soft and Medium compounds were used during the race. Russell completed the longest stint on a single set of Medium tyres, covering 39 laps. Lewis Hamilton, who finished sixth, completed the highest number of laps on a set of Soft tyres, managing 44.

Antonelli therefore strengthened his lead in the World Championship, moving on to 340 points. Russell remains second on 238, while Hamilton is third with 229.

DARIO MARRAFUSCHI – PIRELLI MOTORSPORT DIRECTOR

“As widely expected, regardless of the neutralisations, the one-stop strategy proved to be the most competitive, with the Soft-Medium combination emerging as the most effective option.

The C5 was the star of the race, as it delivered very long stints while maintaining a strong level of performance and offering the advantage of greater grip than the other compounds available. Drivers who used it for around half the race only experienced a performance drop-off in the closing stages.

The Hard tyre was not a strategically attractive option for the teams, as it offered less grip than the C4 which, despite being the softer compound, exhibited virtually no degradation, without providing any tangible advantages in a race already firmly geared towards a one-stop strategy. As a result, although the C3 has proven effective at other circuits, it was not selected by any driver in Singapore.

Tyre degradation was in line with what we had already observed during free practice, and the visual condition of the tyres at the end of the stints was also very encouraging, even over the longest runs. Wear was manageable, although it required a degree of attention, particularly on the rear-right.”

Charles Leclerc finished second, while Lewis Hamilton secured the third-fastest time with a 1:31.496. The Briton also set his best lap on his first Q3 run, whereas his team-mate improved on his second attempt in the final part of qualifying, stopping the clock at 1:31.427. All three drivers completed two flying laps in the final session, using two new sets of Soft tyres.

For Max Verstappen, this is his first pole position at the Singapore circuit, where he has yet to claim a race victory. No rain is currently forecast for tomorrow’s Grand Prix.

However, rain played a significant role ahead of the Sprint, creating standing water in several corners and forcing Race Control to delay the start. When the race eventually got underway, the track was still damp in several areas, prompting all drivers to opt for Intermediate tyres. The green-banded tyres proved to be the ideal choice throughout the race, given the particularly tricky conditions. In the short race, Max Verstappen took the win ahead of Lewis Hamilton in second and Charles Leclerc in third.

The Pirelli Pole Position Award was presented by HYO. The South Korean singer, dancer and DJ first rose to fame as a member of Girls’ Generation, one of the most successful K-pop groups of all time, before establishing herself as an internationally acclaimed DJ.

DARIO MARRAFUSCHI – PIRELLI MOTORSPORT DIRECTOR

“The conditions faced by the drivers during the Sprint were challenging because rainfall had affected only part of the circuit, effectively leaving half of the track very wet while the other half was already drying. The Intermediate tyres used at the start remained on the cars until the chequered flag and delivered remarkably consistent performance throughout the race distance. Despite the track evolving towards near-slick conditions in the closing stages, degradation remained extremely limited and the graining we observed, particularly on the front axle, had no significant impact on performance. Managing tyre temperatures was a key factor, especially in the final laps, but overall tyre wear remained fully under control.

The track still featured some damp sections during qualifying, resulting in less than ideal conditions. Teams adopted different approaches when preparing the Soft tyre. Some elected to complete an additional preparation lap to bring the tyres into their optimum operating window, as Mercedes did in Q3, although no significant advantage emerged compared to rivals who opted to push immediately on a flying lap. Once again, it was clear that tyre management is an essential part of the overall package, closely linked to both the characteristics of the car and the driver’s style.

In our view, the C5 represents the most interesting option for the start of tomorrow’s race, which could be heavily influenced by any Safety Car periods. The higher level of grip offered by the Soft in the opening phase should make it the preferred choice for most drivers, who may look to extend the first stint, aided by the low degradation levels, while waiting for a favourable neutralisation. For the second part of the race, the Medium and Hard offer relatively similar performance, although the C4 could provide an advantage in terms of grip. At present, a two-stop strategy appears unlikely, as it is estimated to be around ten seconds slower than the available one-stop alternatives.”

The Bahrain Grand Prix was full of incidents, starting with a delayed start. Race Control postponed the start due to standing water in several corners of the circuit. When the race finally got under way, still in difficult conditions, there was significant variation in tyre choices: nine drivers opted for Intermediates, while the remainder of the field selected either Softs or Mediums.

From the opening laps it was clear that the track was still too wet for slick tyres. A further six drivers therefore quickly pitted to switch to Intermediates. After nine laps, the Safety Car was deployed following Valtteri Bottas’ off-track excursion. At the restart, with the asphalt almost dry, all drivers returned to action on slick tyres. Over the course of the race, every compound in the range was used except the Full Wet.

Verstappen quickly built a margin over the two Mercedes drivers but saw his advantage wiped out by a Virtual Safety Car that was later upgraded to a full Safety Car. The Red Bull driver had in fact stopped ten laps before the neutralisation to fit a set of Softs. Both he and Kimi Antonelli, who eventually finished second, took advantage of the VSC to make an additional stop and fit another set of used Softs.

In the closing laps, Verstappen managed to hold off Antonelli and secure the victory. Lewis Hamilton finished third for Ferrari. The Ferrari driver was one of the few not to use Intermediates, choosing instead to start directly on Softs, on which he completed 31 laps. He then switched to a used set of Mediums before making a final stop during the Virtual Safety Car period for a set of used Softs, which he ran to the chequered flag.

Antonelli therefore followed an Intermediate-Medium-Soft-Soft strategy, while Verstappen opted for Intermediate-Soft-Soft-Soft, with Hamilton completing the race on Soft-Medium-Soft. The Sepang podium therefore featured three drivers from three different teams, each using a different strategy.

DARIO MARRAFUSCHI – PIRELLI MOTORSPORT DIRECTOR

“Sepang provided the first real opportunity this season to see significant use of the Intermediate tyre. In the conditions encountered today, its performance was positive, delivering a high level of grip and consistent performance throughout its stint length. In the closing laps, as the track continued to dry, a slight amount of graining appeared on the wet-weather tyres, although there were no particular wear concerns despite the highly abrasive surface.

The environmental conditions played a decisive role in the Malaysian Grand Prix. Temperatures were noticeably lower than those recorded in previous days and, following the downpour before the start, the track remained damp for much of the race. This helped keep tyre temperatures under control and reduced thermal degradation.

In this scenario, the Soft proved particularly competitive, enabling very long stints and delivering consistent performance, helped by teams gradually bringing it into the operating window tested on Friday. Some drivers managed to cover almost half the race on the softest compound, while the neutralisations prompted many teams to opt for the C4 in the closing stages. Both the Hard and Medium also displayed consistent and predictable behaviour, albeit with lower grip levels than the Soft, confirming themselves as viable options for both the frontrunning teams and those in the midfield.”

Hamilton began the session on the Medium compound before switching to the Soft. The same approach was adopted by Charles Leclerc, Nico Hülkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto. The rest of the field used only the C4. The polesitter used four new sets of Soft tyres and posted the fastest lap of the day on his final flying run, improving his personal benchmark in the final sector.

The highest temperatures of the day were recorded during the third free practice session, with track temperatures reaching 54°C before dropping as cloud cover moved in. All three compounds were used in FP3, although the majority of drivers focused their work on the C4.

Charles Leclerc was the only driver to run the Hard compound before switching to a new set of Softs. Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri, Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar used the Medium, with the reigning World Champion setting his best time on the C3.

The top three drivers all recorded their fastest laps on the red-marked tyre. Kimi Antonelli was quickest with a time of 1:36.302, Verstappen finished second in 1:36.580, while his team-mate Hadjar ended the session third in 1:36.860.

The Pirelli Pole Position Award was presented by Alvin Chong, a popular Malaysian actor and singer. He is well known in both the Malaysian and Chinese entertainment industries.

DARIO MARRAFUSCHI – PIRELLI MOTORSPORT DIRECTOR

“Track conditions improved progressively throughout the day, allowing the Soft compound to deliver a very competitive level of performance in qualifying. Despite this, lap times remained significantly slower than those predicted by the simulations, indicating that the track evolution was not sufficient to close the gap.

In the attempt to extract the maximum potential from the C4 immediately, the degradation generated on the compound meant that no genuinely competitive laps could be completed after the first flying lap today. At the same time, in yesterday’s running it demonstrated that it can maintain an acceptable level of consistency over race distances when it is brought gradually into its correct operating window over the opening laps. This characteristic could prove particularly important tomorrow, given the number of Soft sets retained by several teams.

Tomorrow’s Grand Prix looks especially interesting from a strategic perspective. Most drivers have two sets of Hard tyres available, which should provide a solid option for the longer stints thanks to their greater thermal resistance and lower degradation compared to the softer compounds. On paper, the Medium-Hard-Hard and Soft-Hard-Hard combinations appear to be among the most competitive.

There are, however, some particular situations, such as those of Verstappen and Leclerc, who each have only one set of C2 tyres available and may therefore consider different approaches, making greater use of the Soft and Medium compounds or even evaluating three-stop strategies. In this scenario, the range of possibilities becomes much broader, with shorter stints and increased flexibility.

By contrast, we are unlikely to see one-stop strategies, which on paper offer no advantage in terms of total race time at a circuit where overtaking remains possible at several points around the track. Finally, there remains an element of uncertainty related to the weather, with a chance of rain that could influence the teams’ strategic choices.”

During the opening stint, Russell managed to build a significant gap over the chasing pack. However, after two Safety Car periods, Verstappen fought his way back into second place. From that point onwards, the Red Bull driver piled pressure on the Briton, remaining consistently within a second of the lead. In the end, Russell held firm and kept Verstappen behind all the way to the chequered flag, crossing the line just one tenth of a second ahead.

The pair finished the race on the Soft compound after starting from the grid on the C4, while Hadjar opted for an alternative strategy, beginning the race on the C5 and finishing on the Medium. All three podium finishers took advantage of the first Safety Car period to make their pit stop.

The entire field used a combination of the two softest compounds, with 12 drivers opting to start on the Medium and 10 on the Soft. The C4 and C5 were used almost equally throughout the race, with 49% of laps completed on the Medium and 51% on the Soft.

Kimi Antonelli, who finished fifth, retains the lead of the FIA Formula One World Championship standings on 302 points. Thanks to this victory, Russell has significantly reduced the gap and now trails his team-mate by just 66 points.

DARIO MARRAFUSCHI – PIRELLI MOTORSPORT DIRECTOR

“Today’s race largely confirmed our pre-race expectations. The Soft and Medium compounds proved to be the most effective choices, to the extent that the grid was split almost evenly between the two options at the start, regardless of starting position, with some teams differentiating tyre selection between their drivers. Many teams attempted to extend the opening stint in the hope of benefiting from a race neutralisation, a scenario that ultimately materialised.

From a tyre behaviour standpoint, the extremely low degradation observed over the previous days was once again evident during the Grand Prix. Both the C4 and C5 displayed very low wear levels, with no significant graining, allowing drivers to maintain a strong pace for most of the race.

In these conditions, the Soft provided an advantage in terms of grip and driver confidence, particularly noticeable on a demanding circuit such as Baku, to the point that it proved to be the most competitive race tyre. A clear example was provided by the two Red Bull drivers who, despite having identical machinery but opposite strategies, saw the driver on the red-marked tyre deliver the stronger performance.

Overall, drivers were able to push from start to finish with very limited tyre management, focusing mainly on bringing the front axle back into the operating window after the various restarts following neutralisations, in order to avoid lock-ups and braking errors, incidents that nevertheless still occurred. The Hard compound, meanwhile, played no role in the race, as the performance of the other two compounds never made a more conservative option necessary.”

Rafael Camara won the second Feature Race of the weekend in Baku. The Brazilian driver took the chequered flag in second position but knew that Alexander Dunne was set to receive a time penalty. A five-second sanction dropped Dunne to third in the final classification despite crossing the line first. Nikola Tsolov therefore inherited second place, allowing the top three contenders in the championship battle to occupy the entire podium at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Camara now leads the standings on 207 points, closely followed by Tsolov on 200, while Dunne sits third with 189 points.

Russell set the lap that earned him pole on his third flying run in Q3, using the same set of Soft tyres throughout the decisive session. Both the Mercedes driver and Leclerc used only three sets of the red-banded compound during qualifying, managing to extract multiple competitive laps from each set. Piastri, by contrast, used four different sets of C5 tyres.

During FP3, twelve drivers split their programme between the Medium and Soft compounds, while the rest of the field focused exclusively on the C5. Everyone completed significant mileage to fine-tune car setup ahead of qualifying.

Max Verstappen set the benchmark in FP3 with a 1:43.922. George Russell finished second on 1:44.021, with Lewis Hamilton third on 1:44.033. Verstappen and Russell began their programmes on the Medium compound before switching to the Soft, while Hamilton ran exclusively on the C5, using two new sets during the session. All three drivers set their fastest times on the softest compound in the range.

While track temperatures reached 40°C during FP3, with wind gusts between 30 and 35 km/h, the figure steadily declined during qualifying, falling to around 30°C by the end of the hour-long session. Ambient temperatures remained relatively stable throughout the day, hovering around 25°C.

The Pirelli Pole Position Award was presented by Casey Stoner, the two-time MotoGP World Champion who claimed titles in 2007 and 2011. The Australian retired from competition in 2012 after contesting 178 Grands Prix and securing 89 podium finishes.

DARIO MARRAFUSCHI – PIRELLI MOTORSPORT DIRECTOR

“Today's conditions were, as expected, significantly different from yesterday's, with lower air and track temperatures and strong winds that contributed to making the cars less stable, particularly at the rear. At the start of FP3, the track was very dirty and offered limited grip, to the point that lap times were slower than those recorded in yesterday's session. Drivers spent the first hour building confidence with the circuit and refining car setup ahead of qualifying.

Track evolution was significant throughout the day, allowing lap times to improve consistently and eventually reach the levels predicted by qualifying simulations. The absence of meaningful degradation enabled teams to push for multiple consecutive runs on the same set of Soft tyres, benefiting from track evolution, lower fuel loads and improved tyre operating conditions. It was therefore no surprise that several drivers, including pole-sitter Russell, set their fastest laps on the third attempt using the same set.

The data gathered so far confirms that a one-stop strategy remains the most competitive option. Combinations involving the Medium and Soft compounds appear particularly effective given the limited wear levels observed. The use of the Hard compound in the second stint could become an alternative worth considering should an early neutralisation occur.”

Friday at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix featured a double-header for the Formula 2 Championship. The morning Sprint Race was won by Dino Beganovic, ahead of Laurens van Hoepen in second place and Alexander Dunne in third. All three drivers on the podium completed the entire race on the Soft compound.

Later in the afternoon, the field returned to the track for the 28-lap Feature Race. Victory went to Alexander Dunne, who started on Supersoft tyres before making the scheduled switch to the Soft compound. A subsequent red flag allowed him to fit another new set of Softs and secure the win. Martinius Stenshorne crossed the line in second place, while Dino Beganovic completed the top three.

Thanks to his victory and podium finish from the morning race, Dunne has reignited his title challenge. He now sits third in the standings, just eight points behind championship leader Rafael Camara. Nikola Tsolov occupies second place, only one point behind Camara. The second Feature Race of the Baku weekend is scheduled for Saturday.

The podium finishers all opted for a one-stop strategy. Antonelli and Verstappen made their pit stops during a Virtual Safety Car period. Norris had already passed the pitlane entry when the VSC started and, as a result, lost valuable time compared to the other two. Antonelli and Norris switched from Medium to Hard, while Verstappen replaced the Soft tyres he had started on with Hard.

The one-stop strategy was the most popular choice across the grid. Only George Russell, Carlos Sainz, Oliver Bearman, Fernando Alonso and Valtteri Bottas made two pit stops. Temperatures were similar to those seen on previous days. Track temperature peaked at 52°C, while air temperature reached 32°C.

In the championship battle, Antonelli now leads the standings with 292 points, followed by Russell in second place on 211. The next round of the calendar is the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, scheduled for Saturday 26 September.

DARIO MARRAFUSCHI – PIRELLI MOTORSPORT DIRECTOR

“The teams approached today's race differently from what had been simulated on track on Friday. Thanks also to the opportunity provided by the Virtual Safety Car, they favoured a more measured management of pace and degradation, which allowed them to significantly extend stint lengths and made the one-stop strategy the preferred choice for the majority of the field.

“The star of the Grand Prix was the Hard tyre, a compound that had been little explored during free practice and which today demonstrated a very high level of consistency, proving to be the most robust of the three compounds from both a thermal and mechanical perspective. With the C2, we saw several stints exceeding 45 laps, reaching very high levels of wear without any significant performance drop-off. Both the Medium and the Soft also proved to be effective options despite the track temperatures. The C4, in particular, completed competitive stints comparable to those of the Medium in terms of durability.

“As expected, graining appeared mainly on the front-left tyre, on the inner area of the tread, but with limited intensity. The work carried out by the teams on car set-up and tyre management helped to minimise its effects. In a race characterised by few overtaking opportunities, the drivers were able to focus on tyre management, contributing to a very straightforward contest from a strategic perspective.

“Congratulations to Ugo Ugochukwu for securing the Formula 3 championship title today at the end of a highly competitive season. The series continues to represent an important proving ground for young talents from all over the world. The fact that the title was decided only at the final round highlights the exceptionally high level of competitiveness within the championship, which this year delivered spectacular racing and outstanding sporting value.”

FORMULA 2

Dino Beganovic claimed victory in Sunday’s Formula 2 Feature Race. Alex Dunne crossed the line in second place, while Ritomo Miyata completed the podium in third. All three drivers adopted the same strategy, starting on the Soft compound before switching to Hard tyres. The three podium finishers made their mandatory pit stop on lap 18 and completed the remainder of the race on the Hard compound.

FORMULA 3

Ugo Ugochukwu was crowned Formula 3 World Champion. The driver finished second in the final Feature Race of the season in Madrid, a result that proved sufficient to secure the title. Freddie Slater crossed the line in eighth place, allowing Ugochukwu to move ahead of him in the final championship standings. The season finale was won by Tuukka Taponen, while Pedro Clerot finished third.

Qualifying took place in temperatures that reached 32°C ambient and 53°C on track. The Soft compound was the predominant choice throughout the session, although Verstappen, Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton opted to begin Q1 on the Medium. All the other drivers headed out immediately on the C4.

For Norris, it was his third pole position of the season. The McLaren driver improved his benchmark on his final flying lap, securing top spot at the end of a qualifying session that remained finely balanced until the very last moment.

During the third free practice session, the drivers focused primarily on qualifying simulations. Liam Lawson was the only driver to use the Hard compound, completing a seven-lap stint, while both Audi drivers ran the Medium: ten laps for Nico Hülkenberg and eight for Gabriel Bortoleto. The remainder of the field used only the Soft.

FP3 was interrupted by two red flags following incidents involving Hamilton and Oliver Bearman. However, the drivers were still able to complete a sufficient number of laps, as Race Control stopped the clock with around 15 minutes of the session remaining. At the end of the session, Antonelli was the fastest with a time of 1:32.797, ahead of Leclerc in second on 1:32.963 and Oscar Piastri in third with a 1:32.986.

The Pirelli Pole Position Award was presented by Diego Simeone, head coach of Atlético Madrid. As a player, the former midfielder won a UEFA Cup, a UEFA Super Cup, a Coppa Italia, a Copa del Rey, and league titles in both Italy and Spain. With Atlético Madrid, he holds the club’s record for the most matches managed.

DARIO MARRAFUSCHI – PIRELLI MOTORSPORT DIRECTOR

“Today’s sessions confirmed the strong performance level of the Soft compound. Despite the free practice sessions being affected by a lengthy interruption, the teams were able to evaluate different ways of using the C4, with some drivers managing to improve their lap times even within the same run, thanks to track evolution and increasing confidence with the circuit.

“For some drivers, a slight drop in performance was observed in the final sector, mainly due to overheating, but overall the red-marked tyre worked extremely well. In fact, compared to the simulations, the quickest qualifying times were around half a second faster.

“It was also interesting to see some teams choose to tackle Q1 on the Medium compound, thereby preserving a fresh set of Soft tyres for the race. The performance gap between the two compounds is clear, but not significant enough to prevent those with sufficient pace margin from progressing without immediately resorting to the softer option.

“The picture for Sunday remains very open. A one-stop strategy currently appears to be the most natural choice, given the difficulty of overtaking and the time lost in the pit lane. However, a two-stop strategy could still prove competitive if degradation remains at the levels observed on Friday.

“The most likely strategies revolve around the Medium-Hard and Medium-Hard-Hard combinations. The Soft-Hard and Soft-Hard-Hard alternatives are estimated to be around two seconds slower over race distance. The C2 is undoubtedly the most consistent compound, and the majority of drivers have preserved both sets for precisely that reason.

“Much will depend, however, on the possible deployment of the Safety Car or Virtual Safety Car, a scenario which, on a street circuit with barriers so close to the track, represents, as we have already seen during the previous sessions, a factor that must be taken very seriously.”

FORMULA 2

The Formula 2 Sprint Race in Spain was won by Ritomo Miyata. Emerson Fittipaldi crossed the line in second place, while Laurens van Hoepen claimed the final spot on the podium. The Formula 2 Feature Race is scheduled for Sunday.

FORMULA 3

The Formula 3 title battle is in the spotlight this weekend, with the category contesting its season finale. In the Sprint Race that opened the weekend, Ugo Ugochukwu managed to cut championship leader Freddie Slater’s advantage by three points, reducing the gap to 12. The Sprint Race was won by Theophile Nael, with James Wharton finishing second and Alex Powell completing the podium in third place.

A red flag after the third lap allowed all drivers to replace the tyres on which they had started the race. Antonelli, who had started on the Hard compound, switched to Mediums during the stoppage. Russell did exactly the opposite, but completed the race on the C3 fitted at that time. Antonelli, meanwhile, adopted a different strategy, taking advantage of the Virtual Safety Car on lap 29 to pit and fit a fresh set of Medium tyres. Verstappen also stopped during the neutralisation period, switching from Mediums to Hards. The Dutchman had started on Softs.

The Grand Prix took place in particularly hot conditions, with air temperatures reaching around 34°C and track temperatures exceeding 50°C. All three compounds were used during the race. Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Pérez completed the highest number of laps on a single set of Soft tyres, covering 24 laps. Yuki Tsunoda, Lewis Hamilton and Gabriel Bortoleto completed the highest number of laps on a single set of Mediums, reaching 50 laps. Seven drivers covered the same distance on a set of Hard tyres.

Thanks to his victory at Monza, Antonelli extended his lead at the top of the Drivers’ Championship over second-placed George Russell. The Italian now leads the standings with 267 points, while the Briton is second on 201, 66 points behind.

DARIO MARRAFUSCHI – PIRELLI MOTORSPORT DIRECTOR

“We expected a race in which all three compounds would be viable strategic options and that proved to be the case. Teams had the opportunity to adopt different approaches, so much so that the starting grid presented a particularly varied picture. We saw drivers start on each of the available compounds, with different strategies unfolding throughout the race. Those who switched early to the Hard or Medium compound were able to complete most of the race distance comfortably thanks to extremely low degradation levels.

The data collected confirmed what we had observed over the previous days. Even during the most intense battles, with numerous overtakes and a few lock-ups, no significant wear-related issues emerged. We did observe some graining, with differing behaviour from team to team, demonstrating just how much the phenomenon was influenced by individual car characteristics and stint management.

The Virtual Safety Car inevitably limited the opportunity to gather further information on the C5 in long-run conditions, but the sets used by the drivers who completed the longest stints on the Soft compound showed low degradation in line with expectations. The rear axle undoubtedly benefited from Monza’s long straights, which helped contain tyre overheating under traction despite the high track temperatures.

Overall, the performance of the entire range was extremely positive, allowing drivers to push throughout the race while promoting close battles and numerous overtaking opportunities. We witnessed an action-packed race characterised by varied strategies, exactly the type of scenario we aim to help create.

Congratulations to Kimi Antonelli who, after climbing through the field from the penultimate position on the grid, managed to secure victory with an extraordinary recovery drive, completing 26 overtakes and taking advantage of a Virtual Safety Car period to fit a fresh set of Medium tyres that enabled him to catch and pass his team-mate before the chequered flag. His success brought an Italian driver back to the top step of the Monza podium for the first time in sixty years.”

FORMULA 2

Joshua Durksen won Sunday’s Formula 2 race in Italy. At Monza, Durksen managed to stay ahead of team-mate Rafael Camara, who finished second. Noel Leon completed the podium in third place. Durksen started on the Supersoft compound before switching to Softs on lap six. Team-mate Camara pitted two laps later to make the same change. Leon stopped on lap seven, meaning that the strategies of the top three drivers were very similar.

FORMULA 3

The Formula 3 Feature Race at Monza was won by Nicola Lacorte. Tuukka Taponen finished second, with Taito Kato taking third place. Freddie Slater retains the championship lead following this round with 141 points, while Ugo Ugochukwu occupies second place in the standings on 126 points. At the Madrid Grand Prix, the Formula 3 schedule includes the season’s final Sprint Race as well as no fewer than two Feature Races.

Throughout qualifying, drivers ran predominantly on the Soft compound, with the exception of George Russell and Liam Lawson, who initially opted for the Medium in Q1. Russell set the fastest time of the opening session on the C4, while Lawson improved later after switching to the C5. All three qualifying sessions took place in very hot conditions, with air temperatures exceeding 35°C and track temperatures reaching 49°C. Similar conditions are forecast for tomorrow’s race.

Russell was quickest in FP3 with a lap of 1:22.219. Lewis Hamilton finished second, ahead of Max Verstappen. Only the Medium and Soft compounds were used during the session. Alex Albon completed the highest number of laps on the same set of Soft tyres with 19 laps, while Pierre Gasly logged the most laps on the same set of Mediums with 17.

The Pirelli Pole Position Award was presented by Federica Brignone. The Italian alpine skier, Olympic champion in the super-G and giant slalom at the Milano Cortina 2026 Games, also boasts three additional Olympic medals, five World Championship medals, two overall World Cup titles and five discipline World Cups.

DARIO MARRAFUSCHI – PIRELLI MOTORSPORT DIRECTOR

“Our simulations indicate that a one-stop strategy will be the most competitive option at Monza, although several variations are very close in terms of overall race time. The choice of starting compound will likely depend on the characteristics of each car, as well as on the strategic approach teams wish to adopt according to their grid position.

The Medium appears to offer the greatest flexibility, allowing teams to react to any neutralisations in either the early stages or the latter part of the race. On paper, the quickest strategy involves starting on the C4 and making a pit stop between laps 24 and 30 before running to the flag on the Hard.

An alternative, estimated to be around two seconds slower over the full race distance, is to switch from the Medium to the Soft between laps 30 and 36. The C5 has proved fully raceable and could represent an interesting option for those looking to exploit its higher level of initial grip to gain positions along the long straight leading into Turn 1. In this scenario, the optimal pit stop window would be between laps 19 and 25, with the Hard compound taken through to the chequered flag.

The data gathered today confirms limited degradation across all three compounds, with no signs of critical wear or significant performance drop-off. We expect the graining observed yesterday to remain limited and not to have a significant impact on stint management.

The characteristics of the circuit, with its long straights and relatively low traction demands, also help control rear tyre temperatures and therefore promote optimal thermal management throughout the Grand Prix. Teams will therefore have several strategic options available, with all three compounds fully usable and capable of offering different opportunities depending on how the race unfolds.”

FORMULA 2

Joshua Dürksen claimed victory in the Monza Sprint Race. The driver managed to keep John Bennett behind him, with Bennett finishing second at the chequered flag, while Oliver Goethe completed the podium in third place. Rafael Câmara will start tomorrow’s Feature Race from pole position.

FORMULA 3

Saturday’s Formula 3 Sprint Race was won by Taito Kato. Behind him, Freddie Slater secured second place, while Hiyu Yamakoshi completed the podium in third. Thanks to his runner-up finish in the Sprint Race, Slater was able to extend his championship lead over his closest rival, Ugo Ugochukwu.

Trophy’s photo: vedovamazzei with FRAGILE (2026), FORMULA 1 PIRELLI GRAN PREMIO D’ITALIA 2026 trophy realized by artistic duo vedovamazzei (Simeone Crispino and Stella Scala) and commissioned by Pirelli with Pirelli HangarBicocca
Courtesy the artists
Photo A. Osio

Kimi Antonelli finished second, while his Mercedes team-mate George Russell completed the podium. The top ten finishers all followed different strategies, underlining the remarkable tactical variety on offer throughout the race.

In the opening stages, a red flag prompted several drivers to switch from their starting compound, with most having begun on Mediums and Softs. Norris, who started on Mediums, changed to Softs during the interruption before making two further pit stops, taking a set of Hards on each occasion.

Antonelli and Russell also started on Mediums, which they retained during the red flag period. Antonelli then made two pit stops for fresh sets of Hards before switching to a used set of Softs during a Virtual Safety Car phase. Russell followed a similar strategy, although he did not make his stop under the neutralisation.

Both Ferrari drivers chose to restart on Soft tyres, but the strategies of Lewis Hamilton (fourth) and Charles Leclerc (fifth) subsequently diverged. The Monegasque used all three available compounds, completing the race with stints on Medium, Hard and finally Soft. His team-mate, meanwhile, opted for a more straightforward approach, avoiding a final pit stop and contesting his third and fourth stints on Hard and Soft tyres respectively.

Fernando Alonso, on the other hand, secured two points by fitting a new set of Softs during the red flag before making just one further stop to switch to Hards. Thanks to this strategy, which allowed him to save a pit stop, he was able to finish the race in ninth place.

All three compounds were used during the race. Alonso completed the most laps on Softs, with a 32-lap stint. Arvid Lindblad covered 31 laps on Mediums, while Carlos Sainz completed 35 laps on Hards.

In the championship battle, Antonelli strengthened his lead, moving onto 242 points. Russell remains second on 183, while Lewis Hamilton is third, also on 183 points.

DARIO MARRAFUSCHI – PIRELLI MOTORSPORT DIRECTOR

“The last race at Zandvoort proved full of twists and turns and highly unpredictable, particularly from a strategic perspective, with all three available compounds coming into play. The picture painted by the previous sessions ultimately proved inaccurate for the teams, forcing them to revise their approach to the Grand Prix in light of new variables and pushing them towards either two or three-stop strategies.

The weather played a significant role, with an unexpected rain shower before the start preventing the track from evolving as anticipated and altering the temperature profile, which was noticeably higher than during Saturday’s Sprint.

Tyre degradation, which had appeared relatively limited until the previous day, turned out to be significant, largely due to the increased wear caused by track conditions that had deteriorated and become particularly slippery following the rain.

After the stint following the restart, teams immediately realised that the conditions would not allow them to remain competitive with a one-stop strategy. Influenced by events on track as well, they therefore sought to identify the most effective tyre combinations for their drivers.

Following the first red flag, almost ten different strategies emerged, with notable variations even among the leading teams. For example, Lawson did not use the Hard compound, while McLaren opted not to fit the Medium again after the initial start. By contrast, other drivers, such as Leclerc, made use of all three available compounds.

As a result, we witnessed a highly engaging Grand Prix from a strategic standpoint, in which the teams were able to exploit the characteristics of each compound, all of which proved effective under specific conditions, identifying those best suited to maximising the strengths of their respective cars.

Particularly illustrative in this regard was the use of the Soft tyre by Antonelli and the two Ferrari drivers in the closing stages of the race, enabling them to make up ground on their direct rivals and, in the Italian’s case, even gain a position on his team-mate.”

At Zandvoort, Alisha Palmowski claimed her fourth victory of the 2026 F1 Academy season with a lights-to-flag win. The British Campos Racing driver, backed by Red Bull Racing, resisted constant pressure from Alba Larsen to remain in the lead all the way to the chequered flag. Larsen finished second, while Nina Gademan completed the podium, giving MP Motorsport two cars in the top three. After a less than perfect start, Palmowski steadily increased her advantage and won by almost three seconds from her Danish rival. Thanks to this success, the Briton further consolidated her championship lead, extending her advantage to 48 points ahead of the next round in Austin.

A few drops of rain in the closing minutes prompted teams to bring forward their runs. Track temperature hovered around 27°C, while the air temperature was 19°C. Similar conditions are expected for tomorrow’s Grand Prix.

George Russell won the Sprint Race. The Briton kept Charles Leclerc behind him to take victory, with the Ferrari driver finishing second. Leclerc opted for a different strategy in the short race, running the Soft compound. Russell secured the win on the Medium tyre, which was also used by third-placed Lando Norris.

Only Oliver Bearman, like Leclerc, chose the Soft for the Sprint, while all the other drivers raced on the C3. As in qualifying, rain began to fall in the closing stages of today’s race, shortly before the chequered flag, but without affecting the final outcome.

The Pirelli Pole Position Award was presented to Lando Norris by Maro Engel. The German driver currently leads the DTM championship, for which Pirelli has been the exclusive tyre supplier since 2023.

DARIO MARRAFUSCHI – PIRELLI MOTORSPORT DIRECTOR

“Ferrari’s and Haas’s decision to use the Soft tyre in today’s Sprint demonstrated that the red-marked compound could be an option for Sunday, alongside the Hard and Medium, which are likely to be the most popular choices. All three compounds are therefore in play for the race.

The C4 delivered the level of performance Leclerc needed to close in on Norris thanks to its superior grip, without any drop-off in pace over a longer stint. The relatively low temperatures also helped keep the compound within its optimal operating window. The Sprint further demonstrated how difficult overtaking can be at Zandvoort, an important factor when assessing how costly a pit stop may prove to be.

The quickest strategy is therefore a one-stop, starting on the Medium and running until laps 27-33 before switching to the Hard for the remainder of the race. An alternative, around one second slower, involves starting on the Soft, using it until the window between laps 26 and 32, and then finishing the race on the Hard.

In clean air, two-stop strategies also look competitive on paper, but it is necessary to take into account, as noted earlier, the limited overtaking opportunities available around the circuit.

A third stint could be considered in the event of a Virtual Safety Car or to take advantage of an undercut during the race, provided traffic conditions allow. The degradation levels recorded today, thermal in nature, were limited and, given that drivers are more likely to manage their tyres during the race, should not be decisive in determining strategy, at least for the two harder compounds.”

The reverse-grid F1 Academy race was won by Payton Westcott. The Mercedes driver held off Alba Larsen, who finished second, while Nina Gademan completed the podium in her home event. The Feature Race will take place on Sunday, with Alisha Palmowski starting from pole position.

Norris started on Mediums before completing two further stints on Hards. Taking advantage of a Virtual Safety Car period, the world champion made an additional pit stop and fitted Soft tyres.

Verstappen, by contrast, stayed out on a set of C5s, completing the final 29 laps on that compound. However, he was not the driver who extracted the most mileage from the red-marked tyre: that distinction went to Fernando Alonso, who completed 34 laps on the Soft compound.

Lance Stroll completed the highest number of laps on the Medium, using the same set for 29 laps, while Arvin Lindblad reached 49 laps on the Hard. All three compounds were used extensively throughout the race, providing a range of strategic options.

Twelve drivers opted for a two-stop strategy. These included both Mercedes and Red Bull pairings, who started on Medium tyres and then switched to Hards for their remaining two stints, with the exception of Verstappen, who completed his final stint on Softs.

Five drivers, meanwhile, finished the race with a three-stop strategy, including both Ferrari drivers, who started on Softs, ran the middle phases of the race on the C3, and took the chequered flag once again on the C5. Bortoleto and Lindblad were the only two drivers to make a one-stop strategy work, the former following a Soft-Hard approach and the latter a Medium-Hard strategy.

The race took place in warmer conditions than those recorded yesterday: track temperatures exceeded 49°C, while ambient temperatures peaked at 34°C. Antonelli now leads the championship with 219 points, followed by Hamilton in second on 169.

Pirelli will remain in Budapest for two days of testing on Tuesday and Wednesday, carrying out development work on next season’s tyres together with Alpine, Audi and Aston Martin. The latter, unlike the other two teams, will be on track only on the opening day.

DARIO MARRAFUSCHI – PIRELLI MOTORSPORT DIRECTOR

“Today we witnessed a wide variety of strategies, with every team able to make use of the full range of compounds available. The impression is that each team managed to identify the most effective combination to maximise the characteristics of its own car.

These were precisely some of the objectives we had set ourselves during the development phase. To create a range capable of adapting as effectively as possible to cars that have followed different development paths, offering greater strategic variety and enabling even the softer compounds to be used effectively.

Several teams made extensive use of the C5 today, which this year has once again proved to be a genuine race tyre and not just an option for fast laps on Saturday. This is demonstrated by the Soft stints of more than 29 laps completed by as many as five drivers.

In the end, the race was contested between one-stop and three-stop strategies. Among the top teams, only Ferrari chose to start on the Soft and, by bringing Hamilton into the pits at the first available opportunity, effectively triggered the sequence of pit stops among its rivals, prompting several others to converge on a two-stop strategy.

This approach offered greater tactical flexibility and a faster ability to react in a race made particularly complex by traffic and the high number of backmarkers to manage after each pit stop.

While Ferrari demonstrated particular effectiveness in extracting performance from the red-marked tyre, Mercedes appeared to base its approach around the Hard compound, which was also selected for the final stint. It was a decision taken shortly before the Virtual Safety Car, which instead gave others the opportunity to make an additional tyre change.

Despite the high temperatures, degradation across all three compounds remained broadly in line with expectations. Drivers mainly had to manage the rear tyres, the principal limiting factor in the traction phases, without significantly compromising race pace, thanks in part to the circuit's continuous evolution throughout the day.”

FORMULA 2

By the narrowest of margins, Noel Leon claimed victory in the Formula 2 Championship Feature Race at the Hungarian Grand Prix. Kush Maini finished second, while Rafael Camara crossed the line in third place. Leon started on the Soft compound before switching to the Medium on lap 16. Maini and Camara adopted the same strategy, making the move to the Medium on laps 21 and 20 respectively. Nikola Tsolov heads into the summer break leading the championship standings on 167 points, ahead of Gabriele Minì in second place with 147 points.

FORMULA 3

The Formula 3 Championship Feature Race at the Hungaroring was won by Freddie Slater. Ugo Ugochukwu finished second, while Brando Badoer secured the final podium position in third. Thanks to this victory, Slater has extended his advantage in the championship battle and now holds an eight-point lead over Ugochukwu, who sits second in the standings. The next round of the Formula 3 Championship will take place at the Italian Grand Prix at Monza.

All teams, with the exception of Ferrari, used only Soft tyres. The Maranello-based squad opted for the Medium compound during the opening phase of qualifying. Hamilton completed three laps on the C4, while Leclerc covered eight laps on the yellow-banded tyre before both switched to the C5.

Using four sets of Soft tyres, Norris managed to beat his rivals with his final flying lap. The McLaren driver had also been quickest in the third free practice session, where, as in qualifying, the C5 was the most widely used compound.

Only Liam Lawson and the Aston Martin and Audi drivers used a set of Medium tyres in FP3. Nico Hülkenberg and Lawson completed the highest number of laps on the yellow-banded compound, with 15 laps each.

Norris’s best time in FP3 was a 1:17.939. Hamilton finished in 1:18.056, ahead of Kimi Antonelli, who was third on 1:18.068. The highest temperatures of the day were recorded during this session, with track temperatures peaking at 53°C and air temperatures at 29°C. Forecasts for tomorrow indicate a further, albeit slight, increase.

The Pirelli Pole Position Award was presented to Norris by Michelle Gulyás. The Hungarian athlete won the gold medal in the modern pentathlon at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, setting a new world record in the discipline.

DARIO MARRAFUSCHI – PIRELLI MOTORSPORT DIRECTOR

“Our simulations show no difference in overall race time between a one-stop and a two-stop strategy for the Hungarian Grand Prix. Degradation, which has been higher than expected, has effectively brought the two strategic options into line, allowing teams to evaluate different scenarios depending on the new sets they have preserved up to this point.

In both FP3 and qualifying, as was already the case during yesterday’s first two sessions, some teams followed a different approach from the rest by using an additional set of Medium tyres. The yellow-banded tyre is still likely to be the preferred compound for the start. Those opting for a one-stop strategy could then complete the race on the Hard compound, with the pit stop window falling between laps 26 and 32.

In the case of a two-stop strategy, however, given that only two teams still have two new sets of C4s available, it is more likely that the final stints will be run on the Hard compound, with pit stop windows between laps 16 and 22 for the first stop and laps 40 and 46 for the second. As highlighted yesterday, traffic and the difficulty of overtaking remain key factors and could encourage several teams to favour a one-stop approach.

The use of the Soft tyre cannot be ruled out either, as it has demonstrated good levels of grip and sufficient durability. Around ten seconds slower than the two main strategies are the Soft-Hard-Medium and Medium-Hard-Soft combinations. Drivers able to build a gap over their rivals may be able to make an additional stop without the risk of losing position, while others could use the undercut to their advantage. The situation therefore remains open and it would not be surprising to see different strategies even between drivers from the same team.”

FORMULA 2

Gabriele Minì won the Formula 2 Sprint Race. The Italian started from second on the grid and went on to take victory. Dino Beganovic finished second, while Laurens van Hoepen completed the podium in third. Minì also set the fastest lap of the race, collecting valuable points in the championship battle. In Sunday’s Feature Race, Kush Maini will start from pole position after setting the fastest time in Friday’s qualifying session.

FORMULA 3

Théophile Naël won the Sprint Race in Hungary. The Campos driver started from sixth position but fought his way to the front during the race. Kanato Le finished second, while Ernesto Rivera crossed the line in third place.

Following George Russell’s retirement, Antonelli strengthened his lead in the championship battle over his closest rival and team-mate. Russell was also overtaken today by Lewis Hamilton, who finished the Grand Prix in fourth place and is now 45 points off the lead, five more than Russell.

All compounds were used today, with the majority of drivers opting to start on Mediums. Lando Norris instead lined up on Hards and did not pit until lap 30 to switch to the C3. However, he was not the driver to complete the most laps on the C2: Valtteri Bottas ran 31 laps on the white-marked tyre before finishing the race on Softs.

The C4, meanwhile, was used extensively by Carlos Sainz, who started from the back of the grid in an attempt to recover positions. The Williams driver completed 14 laps on the Soft before switching to the Hard.

DARIO MARRAFUSCHI – PIRELLI MOTORSPORT DIRECTOR

“All three compounds played a role in the Belgian Grand Prix strategies, with few variations between the teams and all broadly within the scenarios already anticipated yesterday.

“Tyre degradation was lower than in previous days because track temperatures, partly due to a few drops of rain, were cooler than those recorded earlier in the weekend. This allowed drivers to extend their stints.

“Only Ferrari opted to deviate slightly from the strategies of its direct rivals, extending the opening stint on Mediums while waiting for a neutralisation, which ultimately came. This enabled the team to save time during the pit stop and fit the Hard tyres to both drivers on the same lap.

“No one, with the exception of Sainz and Bottas, chose to start on Softs, a strategy which, in our view, could have offered some benefit to cars in the second half of the grid if combined with a slightly earlier stop to exploit the undercut. From a strategic standpoint, despite the presence of a Safety Car and a VSC, the race proved fairly straightforward.”

FORMULA 2

Rafael Câmara won the Feature Race in Belgium. With this victory, the Invicta driver claimed his second long race win of the season. Câmara started on the Supersoft compound before switching to Mediums. The second-placed driver, Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak, and third-placed Nikola Tsolov adopted the same strategy. Thanks to his third-place finish, the Bulgarian maintains the lead in the championship standings.

FORMULA 3

Ernesto Rivera secured his first Feature Race victory in the Formula 3 championship. The Mexican managed to keep Hiyu Yamakoshi behind him throughout the race at Spa-Francorchamps. Freddie Slater finished third. Thanks to his podium result, Slater has closed the gap in the title fight and now sits just one point behind championship leader Ugo Ugochukwu.

Antonelli completed 15 laps, stopping the clock at 1:44.361. Verstappen recorded a best time of 1:44.678 across 12 laps, while Norris set a 1:44.801 after 11 laps in qualifying. All drivers used the Soft C4 compound exclusively. The top three each used four sets of tyres.

The Italian driver had already impressed in the third free practice session, finishing fastest with a time of 1:45.990 ahead of Norris and Verstappen. Among the top three, the McLaren driver was the only one to use the Medium compound as well, a choice also made by Hadjar and both Alpine drivers.

Track conditions were slightly warmer in qualifying compared to FP3. Track temperature reached 38.5°C, compared to 36°C recorded in the morning session. Ambient temperature remained stable at around 21°C throughout the day.

The Pirelli Pole Position Award was presented by Barry Baltus. The Belgian Moto2 rider competes for the REDS Fantic Racing team, the reigning world champions in the category.

DARIO MARRAFUSCHI – PIRELLI MOTORSPORT DIRECTOR

“Everything suggests that tomorrow’s race will be a one-stop, with strategy mainly determined by the new tyre sets available to each team. The opening stint could be completed on either the Medium or the Soft, depending on which new sets teams have chosen to keep.

“The top teams may start on the C3 before switching to the Hard between laps 17 and 23. Those who have saved a new set of C4 could instead use it at the start, bringing their stop forward into the 14 to 20 lap window.

“The Soft was extensively tested during the first hour of free practice and, on some cars, appears to give drivers better feedback under braking. For this reason, it could be preferred, also thanks to the grip advantage it offers.

“Two-stop strategies are approximately eight to ten seconds slower. Possible options include Soft-Hard-Hard and Soft-Hard-Medium. As already noted yesterday, some teams have kept an additional set of C2 as a precaution, which could prove useful to have a fresh tyre available in the event of a neutralisation.

“Tyre behaviour is in line with our expectations. Lap times are also now close to simulations, with just a one tenth gap between the pole time and our projections. The track has evolved quickly and thermal degradation on the rear axle is now the only factor that will need to be taken into account during the race.”

FORMULA 2

Joshua Duerksen won the Sprint race at Spa-Francorchamps. Martinius Stenshorne finished second, just six tenths behind, while Dino Beganovic completed the podium in third place. Championship leader Nikola Tsolov crossed the line in fourth. With the exception of Noel Leon, who opted for the Supersoft compound, all drivers started on Medium tyres. The Feature race is scheduled for tomorrow, with Rafael Camara starting from pole position.

FORMULA 3

The Formula 3 Sprint race was won by Jin Nakamura. The Hitech driver managed to hold off Brando Badoer and Pedro Clerot at Spa-Francorchamps. Badoer had started from pole position but had to give way to the Japanese driver during the sprint race. He finished less than one second behind the winner. The Feature race is scheduled for Sunday.

The initial strategy planned by most teams was a one-stop, but two neutralisations in the closing stages forced all drivers to make at least two pit stops. The entire grid started on C2 before switching to the Hard compound.

Most of the front-runners opted to fit the Soft for the final stint. Russell, however, had already switched from Hard to Medium during his second stop and therefore chose to prioritise track position, bringing the race to a close on the yellow-marked tyre.

As the race ended behind the Safety Car, the drivers who had chosen the C3 were unable to fully exploit its performance potential.

Kimi Antonelli completed the highest number of laps on the Medium, covering 35 laps on the C2, while Oscar Piastri recorded the longest stint on the Hard with 34 laps. The greatest number of laps on the Soft, 12, was completed by Alexander Albon.

Despite finishing outside the points, Antonelli retains the lead in the Drivers’ Championship with 179 points. The Italian is ahead of his team-mate, now on 154, while Lewis Hamilton occupies third place with 147 points.

DARIO MARRAFUSCHI – PIRELLI MOTORSPORT DIRECTOR

All teams converged today on a single strategy, the same one our simulations had identified as the quickest. Up until the first Virtual Safety Car, therefore, the Grand Prix did not show significant variation from this perspective, aside from the timing of the switch from Medium to Hard.

The early pit stops by some drivers were also influenced by the level of tyre degradation, which in the opening phase of the race proved higher than observed in previous days, partly due to the higher temperatures recorded on Sunday.

With the first neutralisation, some attempted to take advantage of increased grip by fitting a new set of C2. However, it was the final Safety Car that not only introduced the widespread use of the softest compound, the C3, but also determined the order of the podium finishers.

George Russell was able to secure second place having already made his second pit stop due to debris, while the two Ferrari drivers stopped to fit Soft tyres, anticipating a restart that ultimately did not take place.

Pirelli’s commitment at Silverstone does not end today. On Tuesday and Wednesday, we will return to the track, with the support of Mercedes and Williams, for two further days of development testing aimed at defining the construction of next season’s slick tyres.

FORMULA 2

Nikola Tsolov made history in Formula 2. The Campos driver secured three consecutive victories in the championship, a feat never previously achieved in the series. Rafael Villagomez finished second, adopting a strategy completely opposite to Tsolov’s. Tsolov started on the soft compound before switching to hard on lap six. Villagomez, by contrast, opted to start on hard and then move onto soft in the latter part of the race. Kush Maini finished in third position. Tsolov leads the championship with 141 points, followed by Gabriele Minì in second place on 124 points.

FORMULA 3

Matteo De Palo claimed his first victory in the Formula 3 Championship. Maciej Gladysz finished second, while James Wharton secured third. After the race, several penalties were applied, resulting in a final top three that differed from the order in which the drivers crossed the line. Ugo Ugochukwu retains the championship lead with 97 points, while Freddie Slater sits in second place with 78 points.

The poleman recorded a time of 1:28.111. Leclerc stopped the clock at 1:28.286, while Hamilton completed his best lap in 1:28.458, all three using the Soft compound. Across the three qualifying sessions, Antonelli used six sets of C3 tyres, four of them new. Both Ferrari drivers, meanwhile, used five sets, with just one used set. Only the Audi drivers ran a set of Mediums C2 in Q1, while the rest of the field relied exclusively on the C3 compound.

In the morning, Antonelli managed to overtake Lewis Hamilton, who had taken pole position on Friday, thereby also securing victory in the Sprint. Lando Norris crossed the line in third place. All three drivers contested the short race on the Medium compound. Only the two Aston Martin drivers and Bottas opted to use the C3.

Today, track temperature peaked at 40 °C during qualifying, while air temperature reached 27 °C. No significant changes in weather conditions are expected for tomorrow’s Grand Prix.

The Pirelli Pole Position Award was presented to Kimi Antonelli by Maduka Okoye, goalkeeper for Udinese and the Nigeria national team.

DARIO MARRAFUSCHI – PIRELLI MOTORSPORT DIRECTOR

All the compounds available this weekend have proven to be valid options for shaping tomorrow’s race strategies. The levels of degradation recorded today were, overall, lower than expected, likely also thanks to the way current cars manage energy at this circuit. For this reason, according to our simulations, the one-stop strategy is around 13 seconds quicker than a two-stop.

The vast majority of teams used the Medium compound for the Sprint, and we expect the C2 to be the most common choice for the start of the Grand Prix as well. The yellow tyre has shown sufficiently consistent performance and can offer good strategic flexibility in the event of race neutralisation.

The fastest strategy involves using the C2 in the opening phase of the race, then switching to the Hard between laps 24 and 30. A possible alternative is the Medium–Soft combination, with a pit stop scheduled between laps 29 and 35. Alternatively, a strategy starting on the Hard followed by a stint on Medium could be chosen, or beginning the race on the Soft and finishing on the Hard.

FORMULA 2

Nikola Tsolov won the Formula 2 Sprint race at Silverstone. On the final lap, he managed to overtake Gabriele Minì, who finished second. Rafael Villagómez came home in third place. All drivers raced on the hard compound. Tomorrow, the feature race is scheduled, with Rafael Câmara starting from pole position.

FORMULA 3

The Formula 3 Sprint race at Silverstone was won by Ugo Ugochukwu. The Campos driver delivered a dominant performance, crossing the line with a 17-second margin over runner-up Yevan David. Behind David, Théophile Naël finished in third place. Tomorrow, Freddie Slater will start from pole position for the feature race.

The race at Spielberg took place today in conditions of extreme heat. Temperatures at the Red Bull Ring reached 36°C, while the track surface was at 55°C at the start of the Grand Prix.

On the eve of the race, the fastest strategy was predicted to be a two-stop, and that proved to be the case. Only Charles Leclerc, Lewis Hamilton and Pierre Gasly opted for a three-stop approach, while all the other drivers stopped twice.

Almost the entire grid started on Medium tyres. The only exceptions were Carlos Sainz and Gabriel Bortoleto, who started on Softs. The first four drivers across the line all adopted the same strategy, running two stints on Hard tyres after the opening stint on Mediums.

Russell secured victory with a margin of 1.611 seconds over Verstappen, while Antonelli finished just over three tenths behind the four-time world champion. Thanks to his win in Austria, Russell moves up to second in the championship, 40 points behind his team-mate. Kimi Antonelli leads the standings with 171 points.

DARIO MARRAFUSCHI – PIRELLI MOTORSPORT DIRECTOR

“All three compounds available came into play today in the two- and three-stop strategies adopted by the teams at Spielberg. As expected, a one-stop strategy was not viable due to the high level of thermal degradation.

The two-stop strategies, on Hard and Medium tyres, were largely determined by the sets of tyres available to each team, carried over from Friday. The most effective approach proved to be the one that used Hard tyres for the final two stints, as adopted by the podium finishers.

Ferrari once again tried something different, stopping three times and also using the Soft, which, aided by a lower fuel load, delivered a solid performance.

While the first stop for the Ferrari drivers and Gasly was brought forward to exploit the undercut, the rest of the grid followed the pit windows we had anticipated. Conversely, the overcut attempted by some did not produce the desired results.

Even the VSC caused by Sainz did not change the picture, except perhaps for Antonelli, who pitted slightly early, losing the time advantage of stopping under neutralised conditions.

With such high track temperatures, the tyres experienced neither graining nor blistering, a sign that the development work carried out by Pirelli is clearly paying off on track.”

Formula 2

Nikola Tsolov claimed victory in the F2 Feature Race. Behind him, Gabriele Minì finished in second, while Oliver Goethe crossed the line in third. Most drivers chose to start on Supersoft tyres before switching to Softs during the mandatory pit stop. This strategy was also adopted by Tsolov and Minì, who pitted on laps eight and nine respectively. The third-placed Goethe opted for a completely different approach, starting on Softs and only pitting after 29 laps to fit Supersofts. A strategy that proved equally effective, allowing him to secure the final spot on the podium.

Formula 3

Noah Strømsted won today’s F3 Feature Race. The Trident driver managed to hold off Ugo Ugochukwu after a thrilling duel. Freddie Slater finished the race in third, also involved in an excellent battle. Fans in the grandstands witnessed a highly action-packed race, with the top 10 drivers covered by just eight seconds at the finish.

Championship leader Kimi Antonelli will line up fourth on Sunday. Max Verstappen will start fifth, despite an incident on his final flying lap. His initial attempt was nonetheless enough to secure that grid position.

Russell was the fastest driver of the day and set his best time on the C5 compound. The Briton used four sets of Soft tyres during qualifying, setting the quickest lap in the final attempt on a new set. The compound proved to be the best option for a single flying lap.

The top five drivers in qualifying used Soft tyres exclusively in the third free practice session as well, in preparation for qualifying. Russell was also quickest in FP3 with a 1:07.096. Antonelli set the second-fastest time, delivering his best performance during a second run on the same set of tyres.

High temperatures are expected again at the Red Bull Ring tomorrow, as was already the case today. Today, the maximum air temperature reached 36°C, while track temperature peaked at 53°C during qualifying.

The Pirelli Pole Position Award was presented by Dominik Paris. The Italian alpine skier is a world champion in the super-G from Are 2019 and a World Cup winner in the same discipline. At the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Games, he won a bronze medal in the downhill.

DARIO MARRAFUSCHI – PIRELLI MOTORSPORT DIRECTOR

“Tomorrow once again looks set to deliver an interesting race from a strategic perspective. According to our simulations, two-stop strategies are the competitive options. As already seen yesterday, the Medium and Hard compounds exhibit similar degradation over long runs and can therefore be considered interchangeable, with a slight grip advantage for the yellow tyre.

Starting on the C4, teams that still have two sets of Hard available could complete the race using both. Alternatively, those who have saved two sets of Medium may choose to run the C3 in the middle stint and fit a new set of C4 towards the end.

Some teams also tested the Soft in long runs today, perhaps indicating a possible use at the start, taking advantage of the extra grip. Still considering a two-stop option, its replacement could come between laps 14 and 20, barring neutralisations, switching to Medium before finishing on Hard.

There is, however, a three-stop option, again starting on the Soft, which, if well executed, could prove effective. By exploiting the strong undercut at Spielberg, some drivers may choose to anticipate their rivals with a very early first stop and then use all three available compounds over the remainder of the race.

This strategy is around a couple of seconds slower when factoring in traffic and the overtaking required, but in clean air it is actually quicker than the two-stop. Some teams may therefore be willing to take the gamble. After all, the memory is still fresh of how Hamilton secured victory in Barcelona with a similar move.”

FORMULA 2

The Formula 2 Sprint race delivered a duel between John Bennett and Sebastian Montoya. On the final lap, Bennett managed to overtake Montoya, securing the win. Behind the pair, Rafael Villagomez crossed the line in third. The entire field used Soft tyres. The Feature Race is scheduled for tomorrow.

FORMULA 3

Ernesto Rivera won the Formula 3 Sprint race at the Red Bull Ring. It marks the Mexican’s first victory in the championship. Pedro Clerot finished second behind Rivera, while Jin Nakamura took third. Pole-sitter James Wharton ultimately finished fourth.

From a strategic standpoint, the race was extremely interesting. Hamilton adopted a three-stop strategy: the Ferrari driver started on Softs, switching to Hards on lap 11. After lap 27 he made his second stop for Mediums, which he then replaced on lap 41, during a VSC phase, once again with Hards that carried him to victory.

While the Ferrari driver used all the available compounds, Russell and Norris relied only on Mediums and Hards. Both opted for a two-stop strategy, starting on Mediums and switching to Hards for the final two stints.

On a hot day, with track temperatures reaching 53°C, strategies ranging from two to four stops were seen, with all compounds widely used. Nine drivers used each of the three compounds selected for the race weekend.

In the championship battle, Hamilton has reduced the gap to leader Kimi Antonelli. The Italian, who retired in the closing stages of the race, still leads the standings with 156 points, while Hamilton now trails by 41. George Russell occupies third place with 106 points, 50 behind the leader.

DARIO MARRAFUSCHI – PIRELLI MOTORSPORT DIRECTOR

”The Barcelona Grand Prix was one of the most interesting races since the start of the season, particularly with regard to tyre usage. Tyres played a central role: aided by pronounced degradation, due to the high temperatures and the choice of softer compounds compared to 2025, they became the key pieces in an intense game of chess, highlighting both the drivers’ skills and the teams’ strategic capabilities.

”The two-stop strategy proved very effective in terms of race pace, but the real winning move was the insight shown by some teams in opting directly for three pit stops on Sunday. Scuderia Ferrari, for example, chose to differentiate the strategies between its two drivers. Leclerc, starting from tenth position, pitted twice, while the decision to stop Lewis Hamilton three times delivered the Briton his first victory in red.

”By significantly anticipating the first stop compared to the recommended windows, the team maximised the undercut, forcing their rivals to respond on the same strategy. It was an option that Ferrari had likely already identified from the outset as the most competitive for Hamilton. The advantage was then managed all the way to the chequered flag, also thanks to the time gained during a Virtual Safety Car.

”No significant changes were observed in tyre behaviour compared to Friday’s second free practice session. Tyre management and track evolution helped to slightly reduce degradation in the final stints, as did the use of both sets of Hard tyres retained by some teams.

”The Medium was probably the most effective compound over race distance, offering an excellent balance between grip and degradation. The two Ferrari drivers demonstrated this in the third stint by adopting different strategies: before his retirement, Leclerc was unable to match his team-mate’s pace.

”All three compounds selected for the weekend were nonetheless used in the race. Even the Soft, despite its rapid performance drop-off, found a place in strategies, both at the start and in the closing stages, with mixed results.”

Formula 2

Rafael Camara successfully converted pole position into victory in the Formula 2 Feature Race at the Catalonia Grand Prix. The race was run in very hot conditions and Camara secured a dominant win by more than 12 seconds over second-placed Alex Dunne. Gabriele Minì finished third.

The Brazilian started on soft tyres before switching to Hards on lap 23. Dunne also started on Softs but stopped much earlier, on lap 13, to fit Hards. A very similar strategy was used by Minì, who pitted on lap 14 for the harder compound. Minì retains the championship lead with 86 points, followed by Tsolov on 80. Camara sits third with 69 points.

Formula 3

Theophile Nael won the Formula 3 Feature Race, narrowly holding off Hiyu Yamakoshi. The Japanese driver remained glued to Nael throughout the race right up to the chequered flag. Ugo Ugochukwu finished third. Ugochukwu remains at the top of the championship with 58 points, while Nael moves into second place following Sunday’s victory with 52 points.

Qualifying took place in very hot conditions, with ambient temperatures reaching 30°C. The mercury is not expected to drop tomorrow, with track temperatures forecast to exceed 50°C, turning the race into an intriguing strategic contest.

While teams focused mainly on race pace during Friday’s free practice sessions, Saturday’s hour was entirely devoted to qualifying performance. In the morning session, all drivers used the Soft C4. Only Nico Hülkenberg and Sergio Pérez opted for the Medium C3 before also switching to the red compound. Russell was fastest in FP3 with a 1:15.679, ahead of Oscar Piastri in second and Charles Leclerc completing the top three.

The Pirelli Pole Position Award was presented by Chris Hoy. The former track cycling professional won six Olympic gold medals and eleven world titles during his career, making him the second most decorated British athlete of all time.

DARIO MARRAFUSCHI – PIRELLI MOTORSPORT DIRECTOR

“The third free practice session was used by the teams exclusively with qualifying in mind. No one focused on long runs. Instead, everyone concentrated on single-lap performance, which they would later face across the three sessions in the afternoon.

“As already evident yesterday, and confirmed today by some isolated attempts, it is not possible to improve lap time on a second run due to the high level of thermal degradation. This is mainly due to the record track temperatures. The 53°C recorded today also explain why lap times were around nine tenths slower than simulations.

“Looking ahead to tomorrow’s race, the likely strategies involve at least two pit stops. Teams may start on a Medium-Hard combination and then decide, based on track performance, whether to finish the race on the yellow or white compound.

“It is worth noting that most teams have retained two sets of C2 from yesterday, a compound that appears particularly effective on cars with greater downforce, albeit with only slightly lower degradation than the other two.

“There is also the option of starting on the Soft, followed by Medium and Hard towards the end. A three-stop strategy with three Soft stints and one Medium does not differ significantly from these approaches. However, considering traffic and the need to overtake, it is unlikely that many teams will commit to it beforehand.”

FORMULA 2

Kush Maini claimed a dominant victory in the Formula 2 Sprint race at the Barcelona circuit. Maini crossed the line more than seven seconds clear of second-placed Gabriele Minì. Nikola Tsolov completed the podium in third after taking advantage of an off-track excursion by Colton Herta on the final lap. All drivers in the top ten adopted the same strategy, completing the entire race on the hard compound.

FORMULA 3

The Formula 3 Sprint race in Barcelona was won by James Wharton. The Prema driver managed to keep Freddie Slater, who finished second, and Gerrard Xie in third behind him. The entire field used the hard compound during the Sprint. The F3 Feature Race is scheduled for tomorrow morning, Sunday.

Max Verstappen, who lined up second on the grid, had a difficult start and was forced to stop his car in the pits at the end of the opening lap due to mechanical problems, bringing his race to an early end. Behind Antonelli, Lewis Hamilton finished second, with Isack Hadjar taking third place.

Almost all drivers started the race on the Medium compound. Lewis Hamilton was the first of the top three finishers to pit, on lap 28, while Antonelli made his stop on lap 37. Both switched from Medium to Hard tyres. Taking advantage of a Safety Car on lap 50, both Hamilton and Charles Leclerc made an additional stop.

After the neutralisation period, however, it was Leclerc who triggered another Safety Car intervention. The subsequent red flag allowed race leader Antonelli to fit a set of Soft tyres. The rest of the field also opted to switch to the same compound during the race suspension.

At the standing restart following the red flag, Antonelli got away perfectly once again, securing the victory. Hamilton also made an excellent start, finishing second, with Hadjar third behind them.

The longest stint on the C3 was completed by Esteban Ocon, who ran for 50 laps, while Arvid Lindblad covered 65 laps on the C4, the highest number of laps on that compound. The longest run on the C5 was recorded by Fernando Alonso, with 55 laps.

In the championship battle, this victory saw Antonelli, now on 156 points, extend his advantage over second-placed Lewis Hamilton. The Italian leads with a margin of 66 points, while George Russell follows in third position with 88 points.

DARIO MARRAFUSCHI – PIRELLI MOTORSPORT DIRECTOR

”Today the drivers did not hold back on track and tried to extract the maximum from their cars. This is reflected in the levels of tyre degradation observed, which were higher than in previous days and, in some cases, led to performance drop-offs. The decision not to preserve the tyres probably pushed teams towards more conservative strategic choices. Almost everyone opted to start on the Medium, before choosing the Hard for the second stint. However, some long runs on the Soft, such as those completed by Aston Martin, clearly showed that the red tyre could be a valid alternative. The Soft was also the option chosen by everyone for the restart. The driver who made the best use of all three compounds was the winner himself, Kimi Antonelli, who set the fastest times of the Grand Prix on Hard, Medium and Soft, dominating the race as well. Overall, the drivers managed to bring the tyres up to temperature more easily, perhaps thanks to the continuous laps around the circuit. The limiting axle was obviously the rear, due to the numerous traction phases during the race, and it was also the most prone to wear. It was an interesting event, especially in the second half, which was full of twists and featured a new grid restart”.

Formula 2

Rafael Câmara started from pole position in the Monaco Feature Race but was unable to convert it into victory. In the closing stages, the Brazilian ran wide at Sainte Devote, allowing Nikola Tsolov to take the lead. The incident effectively marked the end of Câmara’s race. Behind Tsolov, Alex Dunne crossed the line in second position, with Dino Beganovic third at the finish.

The three drivers on the podium adopted the same strategy, starting on the Soft compound before switching to the Supersoft. Tsolov pitted on lap 32, Dunne on lap 33 and Beganovic on lap 28. Several drivers significantly delayed their pit stop in the hope of a late Safety Car, with five of them completing as many as 40 of the scheduled 42 laps on the Soft compound.

After the Monaco Grand Prix, Gabriele Minì leads the championship standings with 63 points. Tsolov follows just one point behind in second position, while Martinius Stenshorne sits third with 48 points.

Formula 3

On the streets of Monaco, Brando Badoer claimed his first victory in the Formula 3 Championship. The Italian started from second on the grid but immediately managed to overtake poleman Théophile Naël. From that moment on, Badoer never relinquished the lead of the race. Naël finished second, with Freddie Slater completing the podium in third position. The gap between Badoer and Naël at the finish was just over half a second. Naël applied strong pressure in the closing stages, but Badoer defended the lead with composure, securing his first win in the championship.

Qualifying took place in perfect conditions, with clear skies and ambient temperatures of around 23 °C. All drivers ran the C5 compound, exploiting it to the maximum. In Q1, some were able to complete multiple flying laps on the same set of tyres. In Q3, the top three all carried out an out-lap followed by a fast preparation lap before their decisive attempt.

Earlier, in the third free practice session, the drivers also ran exclusively on Soft tyres. Track temperatures reached 48 °C. Despite an interruption caused by an accident involving Oliver Bearman and the resulting red flag, the teams were able to complete a good number of laps to prepare as effectively as possible for the subsequent qualifying session. Once again, Antonelli was the fastest, setting a time of 1:12.720.

The Pirelli Pole Position Award was presented to the Mercedes driver by Eileen Gu. The 22-year-old is the only athlete to have competed in all three freestyle skiing disciplines, winning at least one medal in each. Her palmarès includes three golds and three silvers achieved between the Beijing 2022 Olympic Games and Milano-Cortina 2026.

DARIO MARRAFUSCHI – PIRELLI MOTORSPORT DIRECTOR

There is no other race weekend in which Saturday is as important as the Grand Prix itself. At Monaco, in fact, the position secured in qualifying often determines the final result on Sunday, as overtaking is extremely difficult.

It is therefore clear that those who set the best times today will already start with an advantage, regardless of the strategies devised by their respective teams. The low tyre degradation traditionally seen on the streets of the Principality allows the teams to make a single stop tomorrow to comply with the obligation to use two compounds.

Strategies can be built using all the tyres available, with combinations that are very close to one another in terms of performance. A couple of options could feature a final stint on the Hard, starting on either Soft or Medium, with the pit stop respectively between laps 29 and 35 or between laps 33 and 39.

However, we believe that the teams could make effective use of the higher grip offered by the two softer compounds. The extensive use of the C5 in Montreal and again today should have provided them with the data needed to integrate it successfully into the Monaco race as well. By exploiting the initial grip of the Soft, they could then switch to the Medium between laps 31 and 37.

It should be borne in mind that there are many possible variants and, above all, that the pit stop windows can also be significantly influenced by red flags and neutralisations. One only has to recall what happened two years ago, when a collision on the opening lap sent everyone immediately into the pits to make what turned out to be the only stop of the day for the majority of drivers.

FORMULA 2

The Formula 2 Sprint Race was won by Noel Leon. The Mexican driver managed to take the chequered flag ahead of Roman Bilinski in second place, with Gabriele Minì finishing third. The top three all ran on Soft tyres. Leon was able to build a lead of almost 3.5 seconds over Bilinski. The Feature Race is scheduled for Sunday, with the starting grid determined by the results of Friday’s qualifying session. In that session, Rafael Câmara was the fastest and will therefore start from pole position in Sunday’s race.

FORMULA 3

Hiyu Yamakoshi (Van Amersfoort Racing) managed to convert pole position into victory in the Sprint Race. This was the Japanese driver’s first career win, as he kept Lucas Oil and Bruno del Pino behind him on the streets of Monaco. There was also a lengthy red-flag period during the race, caused by an accident on the opening lap, but this did not distract Yamakoshi from claiming his maiden success. On Sunday, Théophile Nael will start from pole position in the Feature Race.

Tyre choices at the start were varied, as a still slightly damp track prompted several drivers to fit Intermediates. This was the case for the McLaren pair, Audi, Cadillac and Carlos Sainz in the Williams. With the track drying quickly, everyone switched to slick tyres within the first three laps. Pierre Gasly, Franco Colapinto and Liam Lawson (as well as Arvin Lindblad, who did not start) opted for the Medium on the grid, while the rest of the field started on the Soft.

For the majority of drivers, a one-stop strategy proved to be the right call. The first four finishers, starting on the C5, took advantage of a Virtual Safety Car to make their pit stop on lap 31 and switch to the C4.

Alpine’s strategy was also noteworthy, with both drivers starting on the Medium before switching to the Hard, allowing them to finish in sixth and eighth positions. All the compounds selected for this weekend therefore proved to be valid options on the Gilles Villeneuve circuit in Montreal.

With this victory, Antonelli, now on 131 points, strengthens his lead in the championship title fight. The Italian now has a 43-point advantage over second-placed George Russell. Leclerc follows, 56 points behind Antonelli. The next F1 round takes place in two weeks’ time at the Monaco Grand Prix.

DARIO MARRAFUSCHI – PIRELLI MOTORSPORT DIRECTOR

It did not rain during the Canadian Grand Prix, but in the end rain was still, in some respects, a key factor in the race, at least as far as the start was concerned.

The decision by four teams, including McLaren, to fit Intermediates in anticipation of a sudden change in the weather was a gamble that did not pay off, as it became immediately clear once the lights went out that the race would be run on a dry track.

The low temperatures pushed the remaining teams to rely on the softest compound which, thanks to its greater grip, helped the tyres reach their operating window, despite the additional difficulties caused by the two extra formation laps.

As we described yesterday, the C5 was the joker of this Sunday thanks to its consistency, which allowed drivers to run until the first neutralisation, but the theoretically quickest strategy nevertheless confirmed its effectiveness. This is demonstrated by the positions gained by the two Alpine drivers, who started on the Medium and finished the race in the points on the Hard.

Graining, despite the cold conditions, was very limited and did not affect tyre performance over a stint, allowing the drivers to focus on on-track battles, which once again delivered an entertaining Grand Prix.

The fastest lap today, set by race winner Kimi Antonelli, was less than a tenth of a second slower than the quickest race lap recorded in 2025 by his team-mate Russell, a sign that car development is progressing at full speed and in the right direction.

After an exciting race, Martinius Stenshorne secured victory in the Feature Race in Canada. Alex Dunne added to the joy for Rodin Motorsport by finishing second. Behind the two team-mates, Gabriele Minì crossed the line in third position.

Conditions during the Feature Race at the Gilles Villeneuve circuit were very challenging. In addition to a few drops of rain, strong winds made life difficult for the drivers. This led to several incidents and numerous Safety Car interventions. In the end, the top three finishers adopted the same strategy, starting on the Supersoft before switching to the Soft.

At the end of an intense race, Stenshorne kept his cool in the most difficult conditions to take the win. Thanks to his third place, Minì now moves into the lead of the championship standings. With 57 points, the Italian holds a 10-point advantage over Nikola Tsolov.

Russell set his fastest lap on the second flying run, using the same set of C5 tyres, earning him the right to start from the front of the grid on Sunday. Several drivers went quicker on their second push lap with the same set of tyres, making the session uncertain right up to the final seconds.

The Pirelli Pole Position Award was presented by Giacomo Gianniotti. The actor, of Italian heritage, grew up in Canada and achieved worldwide fame thanks to the series Grey’s Anatomy, in which he played doctor Andrew DeLuca. He currently stars in the crime series Wild Cards on Netflix.

The Mercedes driver also claimed victory in today’s Sprint, making the most of the pole position he secured for the short race on Friday. Second place went to Norris, with Antonelli finishing third. The Mercedes drivers opted to start on a used set of Medium tyres, while Norris started on a new set of the same compound. Arvin Lindblad, running the Hard, finished in eighth position, while Sergio Perez, classified eleventh, completed today’s race on the Soft.

DARIO MARRAFUSCHI – PIRELLI MOTORSPORT DIRECTOR

The choice of compound for today’s Sprint was almost uniform across the grid, with a few exceptions that ultimately allowed all three compounds to be seen in action. Over the distance of the short race, the Soft showed linear and limited degradation, a sign that it could represent a useful joker in the strategies for Sunday’s race, should the track remain dry.

For tomorrow, the one-stop strategy is clearly the best option, with the Medium-Hard combination indicated as the quickest on paper. This conservative approach, which we believe will be the most widely adopted by the teams in the absence of rain, calls for the pit stop to take place between laps 21 and 27.

Slower than the previous option is the Hard-Medium strategy, which allows the first stint to be extended until laps 38 to 44. Depending on grid position, some drivers could benefit from starting on the Soft, bringing forward the pit stop to between laps 17 and 23, before completing the final stint on the Hard.

There is, however, a high probability of rain tomorrow, which opens up the use of the two wet-weather products. From Miami onwards, Pirelli has extended the authorisation for the use of tyre blankets to the Full Wets as well, setting them at 40 °C for two hours. A temperature increase had already been adopted for the Intermediates, which can be heated to 70 °C for two hours, as is the case with slicks.

The use of tyre blankets certainly makes it easier to bring wet tyres up to temperature in the opening laps, even in low-grip conditions, such as low ambient temperatures or due to the characteristics of the circuit itself. Both factors apply at Montreal, where the relatively low lateral forces make it difficult to generate tyre temperature, as seen in today’s qualifying, and where forecasts indicate a further drop in minimum temperatures.

Noel Leon claimed his first Formula 2 victory by winning the Sprint Race in Canada. The driver remained calm and focused despite multiple safety car periods during the Sprint on the Gilles Villeneuve circuit. Finishing almost four seconds behind, Gabriele Minì took second place. The Italian had started from pole position but was unable to convert his front-row start into a win. However, Minì managed to keep Martinius Stenshorne behind him, with the Norwegian finishing third. The F2 drivers will be back on track tomorrow for the main race of the weekend.

The race was brought forward by three hours due to adverse weather forecasts for the originally scheduled start time of the Grand Prix. From the start, at 13:00 local time, the cars delivered plenty of action, with overtaking already in the opening laps. In the early stages, incidents involving Isack Hadjar and Pierre Gasly prompted the deployment of the Safety Car. The neutralisation was exploited by Max Verstappen and Valtteri Bottas, who brought forward their pit stops.

The Red Bull driver, after a difficult start, managed to rejoin the fight for the podium by switching from Medium tyres to a set of Hards on lap six. The Cadillac driver instead opted for Softs on the same lap, before stopping again on lap 21 to move onto Mediums.

Isack Hadjar was the only driver to start from the pit lane on Hard tyres, while the rest of the grid lined up on Mediums. Only the Aston Martin drivers mirrored Bottas’ strategy, choosing Softs at the tyre change. With the exception of Bottas, Alonso and Stroll, all the others therefore switched to Hards. Strategies were almost exclusively one-stop, apart from Stroll and Bottas, who made two visits to the pit lane.

In the championship battle, Antonelli extends his advantage over his rivals even further: the nineteen-year-old now leads the standings with 100 points, compared to George Russell’s 76.

DARIO MARRAFUSCHI – PIRELLI MOTORSPORT DIRECTOR

The race was very straightforward from a strategic point of view, despite the uncertainty over possible rain remaining right up to the last moment. The only real variable was the Safety Car on lap six, which allowed some drivers, including Verstappen, to pit early and differentiate themselves from the rest of the field. In the Dutchman’s case, this seems to have paid some dividends.

Beyond that, all drivers on the grid opted for the flexibility of starting on the Medium, with the majority replacing it within the window we had anticipated. The lower temperatures compared to previous days further reduced tyre degradation. A clear example was Verstappen’s final stint of 51 laps on the Hard, completed without any need to manage the pace. The same trio of compounds will be used at the next round in Montreal in three weeks’ time.

The Formula 2 race was also brought forward due to the day’s weather forecast, but the event nevertheless took place in wet track conditions. It proved to be an interesting test for the young drivers, who were able to showcase their skills at the wheel. At the end of the Feature Race, the Italian national anthem was played thanks to Gabriele Minì’s victory. Dino Beganovic finished second, ahead of Rafael Câmara. Nikola Tsolov remains at the top of the championship standings with 35 points, followed by Minì and Câmara, level on 34. The next round is scheduled for the weekend of the Canadian Grand Prix, from 22 to 24 May.

Qualifying took place in very hot conditions on Saturday, with air temperatures around 35 degrees and track temperatures close to 52 degrees. All drivers opted for the Soft compound, with the sole exception of Nico Hülkenberg, who completed his first run on a used set of Mediums.

With a time of 1:27.798, Antonelli was almost two tenths quicker than Verstappen, who stopped the clocks at 1:27.964. They were the only two drivers to dip below the 1:28 barrier. Leclerc followed just under two tenths behind Verstappen.

Lando Norris, meanwhile, claimed victory in this morning’s Sprint on a circuit where he clearly feels at home. Behind him, team-mate Oscar Piastri finished second, allowing the Woking-based team to secure a one-two. Behind the duo, Charles Leclerc crossed the line in third place. The Monegasque managed to put Piastri under pressure, but the Australian did well to keep him behind.

During the Sprint race, temperatures reached around 33 degrees, forcing the drivers to compete in extreme heat conditions. All Pirelli compounds were used in the Sprint. The Aston Martin drivers opted for the Softs, the Cadillac drivers for the Hards, while the rest of the field chose the Mediums.

The Pirelli Pole Position Award was presented to Antonelli by Colin Farrell. The Irish actor has won three Golden Globes and was nominated for an Academy Award for the film The Banshees of Inisherin. The star also features in the television series Sugar on the Apple TV+ platform.

DARIO MARRAFUSCHI – PIRELLI MOTORSPORT DIRECTOR

The one-stop strategy is confirmed as the fastest option for tomorrow, as we had already expected ahead of the race weekend. The compounds selected for Miami have proven to be consistent and with low degradation. Extending the stints to make just one pit stop is therefore not an issue. By contrast, a two-stop strategy would be penalised by around 10 seconds compared to a single stop. On paper, the Medium-Hard solution, with a pit window between laps 22 and 28, is the quickest and offers the advantage of flexibility in the event of neutralisations, which are frequent in Miami. The Soft could be a valid option, exploiting its higher grip, when used in combination with the Hard. Starting on the C5, the pit stop should be made between laps 16 and 22. Less effective in terms of lap time is the Medium-Soft pairing, which would have a pit window between laps 32 and 38. Obviously, the entire day will be influenced by the weather forecast, which could even lead to a wet race.

 The Formula 2 Sprint race took place today, which as always features a reverse-grid start. From the early stages of the race it was clear that the fight for victory would be between Nikola Tsolov and Laurens van Hoepen. The two drivers overtook each other several times during the race, but in the end it was Tsolov who pulled clear to take the win. The intense battle between the pair allowed Alex Dunne to close the gap. Although the Irishman managed to get closer to the leading duo, he was unable to realistically insert himself into the fight for victory. All drivers completed the race using the Medium compound.

As with the previous two rounds, the third race of the season saw significant shuffling through the field after lights out. While Antonelli struggled off the line, Oscar Piastri and Charles Leclerc enjoyed excellent starts. This allowed Piastri to seize an immediate lead, which the McLaren driver maintained until his scheduled pit stop.

Although his stop was clean, a Safety Car was deployed just a few laps later, playing right into Antonelli’s hands. Having not yet pitted, the young Italian capitalised on the situation to retain the lead, a position he did not relinquish for the remainder of the afternoon. Clearly the fastest man on track, Antonelli quickly pulled a gap on the chasing pack following the restart.

Behind him, Piastri, Lewis Hamilton, George Russell, and Leclerc were in a superb battle for the remaining podium spots. Notably, Hamilton also made the most of the Safety Car, mirroring Antonelli’s strategy by pitting immediately.

Piastri eventually emerged at the head of that pack to finish secon. Behind the McLaren driver, Leclerc ultimately claimed third; the Monegasque driver came out on top after a brilliant wheel-to-wheel battle with Russell, who had to settle for fourth at Suzuka. 

As anticipated, weather conditions remained fair on Sunday, though slightly cooler than during Friday and Saturday's sessions. While the sun dominated the early part of the weekend, the race was held under overcast skies with temperatures around 18 degrees Celsius.

Consequently, the race unfolded largely as expected from a strategic standpoint. Most of the grid opted for a one-stop strategy, with every driver—except Valtteri Bottas—starting on the Medium (C2) compound. Bottas chose to start on the Hards (C1); while the rest of the field switched to the Hard tyre for their second stint, Bottas moved onto the Mediums.

Antonelli now leads the World Championship standings with 72 points. Russell drops to second place with 63 points, while Charles Leclerc moves up to third with 49 points. Furthermore, Antonelli has made history as the youngest driver and the first teenager ever to lead the Formula 1 World Championship.

DARIO MARRAFUSCHI – PIRELLI MOTORSPORT DIRECTOR

The quickest strategy on paper was essentially the one adopted by all the drivers in the race, with Valtteri Bottas the only driver to do something different. No team evidently considered it worthwhile to take a risk on the Soft compound, either at the start or in the final stages, despite it remaining a viable option thanks to the low degradation recorded in the preceding days. Albon’s use of the C3 was clearly not driven by strategic considerations, given the high number of pit lane visits he made. During the Grand Prix, the compounds did not restrict the cars’ race pace.

The safety car triggered by Bearman’s off-track moment certainly benefited those who had not attempted the undercut, including race winner Kimi Antonelli. Without the neutralisation, we still believe that the pit stop would have taken place in the laps immediately thereafter.

Pirelli’s Japanese trip will not end today, as on Tuesday and Wednesday we have scheduled two days of testing at Suzuka for the development of next season’s dry-weather tyres. Assisting us on track, with one car each, will be the Red Bull and Racing Bulls teams.

In the Q3 session, Antonelli struck immediately during his first run, clocking a 1:28.778, a time no one was able to beat. The Italian didn’t improve on his own time during his second run, a fate also shared by his teammate George Russell. Charles Leclerc was the only driver in the top five to successfully improve his time during the second Q3 run on Saturday. The Monegasque driver qualified in fourth, just behind Oscar Piastri. This places Leclerc between the McLaren drivers on tomorrow's grid, as Lando Norris clocked the fifth-fastest time on Saturday.

This marks Antonelli's second consecutive pole position, following the previous Grand Prix in China where he became the youngest pole-sitter in history. For Mercedes, it is the third time in a row this season that both drivers will start from the front row on Sunday.

Weather conditions were once again very nice on Saturday. The sun shone during both the third free practice (FP3) and qualifying, with temperatures reaching around 20 degrees. Consequently, the track temperature rose to approximately 38 degrees.

During FP3, teams focused primarily on short runs, using only the C2 and C3 compounds. The third free practice was dominated by Mercedes, with Kimi Antonelli and George Russell finishing first and second. They were followed at a significant distance by Charles Leclerc in third.

On Sunday temperatures will again reach around 20 degrees, though more cloud cover is anticipated this time. This should mean that track temperatures will typically be slightly lower than they were yesterday and today.

The Pirelli Pole Position Award was presented to Antonelli by Kotozakura. The sumo wrestler reached the Ōzeki rank in 2024, when he decided to adopt the name of his grandfather, Kotozakura Masakatsu I, a legend of the sport.

DARIO MARRAFUSCHI – PIRELLI MOTORSPORT DIRECTOR

The two sessions held today confirmed the data generated by the simulations carried out before the event. During the free practice session, which focused on performance runs with the two softest compounds, a performance gap of around five to six tenths emerged between the C2 and the C3. The qualifying times, achieved without preparation laps, met expectations and were faster than yesterday’s thanks to the ongoing track evolution.

As anticipated, the fastest strategies for tomorrow’s race involve a single pit stop and make use of all three compounds. The two combinations, Medium–Hard and Soft–Hard, are very close in terms of total race time, although we believe teams will favour the more conservative first option.

Using the C3 provides greater grip off the line and could offer an advantage to those who choose to exploit the distance between the grid and the first braking point to gain positions over their rivals. In this scenario, the pit window runs from lap thirteen to lap nineteen, brought forward by two laps compared with the Medium–Hard solution.

Around ten seconds slower is the final possible one‑stop strategy, which involves using the Soft and the Medium, with the tyre change between laps eighteen and twenty‑four and the need to manage the softer compound more carefully at the expense of performance.

Some outsiders might also consider bringing forward the switch from the Soft quite significantly to get out of traffic, with the aim of tackling the final phases of the race, after the middle stint on the C1, with a fresh set of C3s. They would gain an advantage before the chequered flag but would need to stop twice. A safety car could favour two‑stop strategies, although historically neutralisations are not frequent at Suzuka.

Just as in the season opener, the early stages of the Chinese Grand Prix featured a brilliant battle at the front between the Ferraris and the Mercedes drivers. However, Antonelli remained composed and used the restart after the first Safety Car period to pull away from the competition, who continued to fight amongst themselves. This battling caused both Ferrari drivers and Russell to lose significant time to Antonelli, who steadily increased his lead. Once Russell managed to clear both Ferraris, Antonelli maintained the gap to his teammate despite a small error in the closing laps, ultimately securing his first Grand Prix win.

Antonelli achieved this by opting for a one-stop strategy, a move mirrored by Russell. Both drivers started on the medium tyre and switched to the hard compound during a Safety Car period on lap ten. They managed their tyres effectively, removing the need for further pit stops. Behind the Mercedes duo, the Ferrari drivers followed the same strategy, as did Oliver Bearman, who finished in a superb fifth place.

While the top seven finishers all opted for a one-stop strategy (Medium to Hard compound), Isack Hadjar finished eighth using a different approach. The Red Bull driver started on the soft compound but headed straight to the pits for hard tyres following a spin on the opening lap. The Frenchman then pitted again during the lap ten Safety Car for another set of new hards. He ran these to the finish, securing points for his team.

Antonelli and Russell were joined on the podium by Lewis Hamilton, who finished third just ahead of teammate Charles Leclerc. The next race is scheduled for two weeks’ time, when the F1 world travels to the legendary Suzuka circuit for the Japanese Grand Prix.

DARIO MARRAFUSCHI – PIRELLI MOTORSPORT DIRECTOR

Firstly, I would like to congratulate Kimi Antonelli on his first Formula 1 victory. It has been exactly twenty years since an Italian driver last triumphed in a Formula 1 Grand Prix, and this historic moment occurred today in a race filled with overtakes and plot twists.

As expected, the one-stop strategy proved to be the most effective in Shanghai, and the teams did not change their approach even when a Safety Car neutralised the race on lap nine. Instead, the pit window for those who had started on Medium was brought forward.

The final stint on Hards for ten drivers exceeded 45 laps, with tyres that were clearly in the final stages of their wear yet still capable of maintaining decent consistency. In fact, the winner himself set the fastest lap of the race on lap fifty-two.

Those who had chosen the white-banded compound at the start, on the other hand, had the opportunity to stay out during the neutralisation, gaining a few positions. However, it didn’t take long for rivals with fresh tyres to reclaim the top spots.

Alpine, Haas and Racing Bulls, for example, are teams that exploited these two strategies to create different opportunities for their drivers. Soft were also used at the start, with the Red Bull drivers taking advantage of the extra grip to attempt an early getaway as the lights went out. We can conclude that all three tyre compounds proved to be valid options for devising effective race strategies.  

Emma Felbermayr has won the second race of the F1 Academy weekend in China. The Austrian driver, racing for Audi, took her first victory of the season. Alisha Palmowski finished behind her in second, while Payton Westcott claimed third place. Felbermayr now leads the championship with 31 points, six points ahead of second-placed Alisha Palmowski.

While most drivers opted for the medium compound, others chose the hard tyre (Liam Lawson, Arvid Lindblad, and Fernando Alonso), while Isack Hadjar was the sole driver to start on the softs. After Nico Hülkenberg triggered a safety car at roughly two-thirds race distance, many drivers decided to pit and switch to the soft compound. Lawson chose to stay out on the hards without pitting. The positions he gained thanks to this decision earned him two points and a seventh-place finish. Right behind him, in eighth, was Oliver Bearman, who completed the entire race on the Medium tyre, also without making any pit stops.

Following a superb sprint race, the teams and drivers prepared themselves for the qualifying session. Both Red Bull drivers, Hamilton, and Hülkenberg chose to make an initial run on the medium compound, likely to assess the changes made to their respective cars. The rest of the field headed straight out on softs in Q1, followed immediately by the remaining drivers for their second attempts.

As always, Q2 proved to be an incredibly tense session, though several drivers were unable to improve their times in the closing stages after Gabriel Bortoleto triggered a yellow flag in the final sector.

During Q3, Russell faced early mechanical issues which prevented him from setting a lap time during his first run. He managed to record a time during his second attempt, but it was not enough to claim pole position. That honour went to his teammate Antonelli, who in doing so became the youngest driver ever to secure a pole position.

Prior to this qualifying session, the record was held by Sebastian Vettel, who was 21 years and 72 days old when he claimed his maiden pole at the 2008 Italian GP. Antonelli broke that record by taking pole at the age of 19 years, 6 months, and 17 days. It was a magnificent achievement by the young Mercedes driver, who outpaced both Russell and Hamilton. Consequently, the front row for tomorrow’s Chinese Grand Prix will be a Silver Arrows lockout.

The Pirelli Pole Position Award was presented to Kimi Antonelli by athlete Lin Xiaojun. The ice skater won a gold and a bronze medal at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in the 1500m and 500m events. His most recent Olympic appearance was at Milan–Cortina 2026.

While we saw sunny conditions in China today, tomorrow is expected to be more overcast, with maximum temperatures likely to drop by around 2 degrees on Sunday.

DARIO MARRAFUSCHI – PIRELLI MOTORSPORT DIRECTOR

Today, for the first time this weekend, all the available tyre compounds were used. This occurred during the Sprint, where three cars remained on Hard tyres, avoiding pitting during the safety car period and gaining several positions as a result. Hadjar was the only driver on Soft tyres, while the rest of the field were on Mediums.

Drivers using the C2 compound were able to directly assess the impact of graining on an solution that had not yet been tested. However, the three drivers who opted for this compound may have limited their strategic options for the Grand Prix, particularly in the event of neutralisations, as they will only have one set left for Sunday.

A one-stop strategy is clearly the fastest for tomorrow. Whether to start on the Mediums or the Softs will most likely depend on grid position or a driver’s willingness to take a more aggressive approach at the start. In both cases, the longer stint to the chequered flag will be on the hard tyres, to be fitted between laps 17 and 23, or  between 15 and 21. The two options are very close in terms of overall race time.

With a two-stop strategy, the fastest combinations involve completing the final two stints on two sets of hard tyres, provided teams still have them available for the race. On paper, starting on the Soft appears more effective than starting on the Medium.

It’s important to note that, over the first two days of practice, no driver used the red-marked tyre for more than nine laps, except for Hadjar’s attempt in the Sprint, though his run was compromise by damage to his car. Therefore, the degradation level of the C4 with a full fuel load and one third of the race still to go remains to be verified.

The first race of the F1 Academy season has been won by Nina Gademan. After 13 laps, the Dutch Alpine driver was narrowly faster than runner-up Natalia Granada, who finished just six-tenths behind Gademan. This further highlights how competitive the F1 Academy season promises to be. Emma Felbermayr finished in third place. The second race of the weekend is scheduled for Sunday, where the drivers will start according to Friday’s qualifying results. During Saturday's race, the top eight drivers started in a reverse grid formation.

A spectacular start to the race provided fans with immediate spectacle as the new generation of F1 cars made their debut. Several Virtual Safety Car periods followed in quick succession, prompting Mercedes to pit their drivers relatively early. Both switched from the medium compound to the hard tyre to execute a one-stop strategy—a move that paid off for both Russell and Antonelli.

Overtaking manoeuvres throughout the front, middle, and back of the field turned the race into a true showpiece. However, there was disappointment for the Australian home crowd as Oscar Piastri retire before the race had begun. His teammate and reigning world champion, Lando Norris, finished fifth following a two-stop strategy. Norris managed to hold off four-time world champion Max Verstappen, leaving the Dutchman to finish the first race of the season in sixth. Having started from 20th on the grid, Verstappen also opted for a two-stop strategy.

While Norris and Verstappen both chose two stops, the top four finishers all committed to a one-stop strategy. While Russell, Antonelli, and Leclerc took to the podium, Lewis Hamilton finished just outside the top three in fourth. Together with Leclerc, he ensured that Ferrari now sits second in the Constructors' Championship.

The first race of the year was held under beautiful weather conditions, with sunshine throughout and temperatures hovering around 26 degrees. The drivers and teams will have little time to reflect on the season opener, as the second race is scheduled for next week: the Chinese Grand Prix.

DARIO MARRAFUSCHI – PIRELLI MOTORSPORT DIRECTOR

As we expected yesterday, the first Grand Prix of the season was won with a one-stop strategy. The Mercedes drivers crossed the finish line in the same positions in which they started on the grid, adopting an identical strategy. The final stint on the hard tyres could be extended compared to Saturday's forecasts thanks to limited degradation, which allowed the drivers to complete the race with the same set they had during the VSC.

Those who opted for two stops took advantage of the neutralisations to change fresh tyres without risking losing too many positions, in some cases even using the Softs for a final sprint.

All three compounds therefore proved useful during the race, with the C3 capable of supporting stints of up to 46 laps thanks to its consistency. The left front was the tyre most affected by graining, though without causing excessive wear or degradation issues.

We are, however, at the beginning of a new technical cycle and on a track that is not particularly demanding on tyres. With the development of the cars and the arrival of more challenging circuits, we expect inevitable changes in tyre management. Tyres remain one of the many variables teams will have to consider among the numerous innovations of this season.

Formula 2

Nikola Tsolov has become the first Bulgarian ever to win a Formula 2 race. The Campos Racing driver saw Rafael Câmara finish second, while Laurens van Hoepen secured third place. There was heartbreak for Rodin Motorsport, as Martinius Stenshorne and Alex Dunne crashed out of the race together. The entire podium was occupied by drivers who opted for the exact same pit-stop strategy. All three dived into the pits on the ninth lap to bolt on fresh rubber. In doing so, every driver switched from the Supersoft to the Soft compound. Following the first race weekend of the season, Tsolov also leads the championship standings.

Formula 3

It was a successful day for Campos Racing, as they secured victories in both the Formula 3 and Formula 2 championships. In Formula 3, Ugo Ugochukwu emerged fastest. Freddie Slater was flagged home in second and subsequently holds second place in the championship behind Ugochukwu. Taito Kato claimed the final podium spot in Melbourne, finishing third; Kato inherited the position following time penalties for Théophile Naël and Noah Strømsted.

The new era of Formula 1 has officially begun with this qualifying session, and it proved to be an exciting one, featuring the official debuts of teams like Cadillac and Audi, with the latter even fighting for a spot in Q3. Gabriel Bortoleto managed to reach the final shootout, qualifying tenth, while Nico Hülkenberg set the eleventh-fastest time.

At the front of the pack, Mercedes was dominant, and tomorrow they will do everything in their power to secure the first victory of the season. With one eye on the podium, they might even dare to dream of a one-two finish on Sunday. The last time Mercedes managed to finish first and second in the opening race of the year was in 2019, when Valtteri Bottas won the race with Lewis Hamilton finishing second.

Both Scuderia Ferrari drivers were the only ones to use a set of Mediums in Q1, with the aim of saving an additional set of softer tyres.

The Pirelli Pole Position Award was presented to George Russell by Scotty James. The snowboarder, originally from Melbourne, has just won a silver medal in the halfpipe at the Milan–Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. The Australian athlete has also been a four‑time world champion in the same discipline.

Weather conditions for Sunday look set to be even better than they were on Saturday. This means more sunshine is expected on Sunday, with temperatures rising slightly further. We are looking at around 26 degrees in the afternoon. As a result, fans in Albert Park will be able to enjoy the first race of the season in beautiful weather conditions.

DARIO MARRAFUSCHI – PIRELLI MOTORSPORT DIRECTOR

Based on performance analysis and the condition of the sets at the end of the sessions, all three compounds could play a role in tomorrow’s race strategies. We believe that a one-stop approach is feasible for the teams, with the Medium–Hard combination being the fastest on paper. This would involve switching between lap 20 and lap 26.

Some high-fuel runs with a representative number of laps in free practice have also paved the way for the use of the soft compound. If managed correctly, the C5 could be a viable option at the start of the race, with the C3 being used for the remainder of the race, fitted between laps 15 and 21.

It should be noted that the time lost in the pit lane for a tyre change is minimal at around 21 seconds, and Melbourne's history of race neutralisations indicates a 75% probability of a safety car. Consequently, the possibility of two-stop strategies on Sunday remains real. In that case, teams could opt for the Medium–Hard–Medium combination, or if they want to take a more aggressive approach, the Soft–Medium–Soft combination. After all, there have certainly been no shortage of track stoppages both yesterday and today.

FORMULA 2

Today, the Formula 2 drivers prepared for the first race day of the season as the Sprint Race took place. It was won by Joshua Dürksen. The Paraguayan-German driver started from second place but managed to overtake pole-sitter Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak on the second lap, holding onto the lead thereafter. It was a brilliant start to the season for Joshua, who kept Noel León and Alex Dunne behind him. Third place only fell into Dunne's hands after the race concluded, as the third-placed finisher, Martinius Stenshorne, was handed a five-second penalty, ultimately seeing him classified in tenth. The young drivers will be back in action tomorrow for the Feature Race.

FORMULA 3

The first Sprint Race of the Formula 3 championship season was unfortunately brought to a premature end. James Wharton and Louis Sharp crashed into each other and went off track following an intense battle. This triggered a red flag situation, which was later converted into the end of the race because the barrier required repairs. This took too much time to allow the race to resume. The Sprint Race was won by Bruno del Pino, who saw his teammate Enzo Deligny finish second—a fantastic day, therefore, for the Van Amersfoort Racing team. Third place went to Brando Badoer.

The Monegasque thus finished ahead of Lando Norris (McLaren), who clocked a 1:32.871s, Max Verstappen (Red Bull) with a 1:33.109s, and George Russell (Mercedes), who posted a 1:33.197s. All three ran on the C3 compound but failed to beat the fastest time on this tyre, which was held by Leclerc with a 1:32.655s. Behind them, Pierre Gasly recorded his best time of the day on the C5s, stopping the clock at 1:33.421s.

The softest compound was also used today for short runs by Alpine and Williams (Cadillac, however, did not repeat yesterday’s experiment). Of the four teams with the C5 at their disposal, Aston Martin was the only one not to use it. Adrian Newey’s team completed just six laps on C3s this morning before halting all track activity.

The leaders on the harder compounds were Gabriel Bortoleto on the C1 (1:37.294s) and Arvin Lindblad (Racing Bulls) on the C2 (1:35.238s). Meanwhile, Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin), Alex Albon (Williams), Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls), Franco Colapinto (Williams), and Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) did not go out on the track today.

As seen yesterday, teams utilised the compounds for both performance runs and long-distance evaluations. Notable stints included 25 laps by Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi) on C2s and 24 laps by Esteban Ocon (Haas) on C1s. The Frenchman was also the only driver to fit a set of Intermediates, running them for four laps to test front wing behaviour.

Mario Isola, Pirelli’s Motorsport Director, commented: “The radical changes introduced to the cars have inevitably shifted the teams’ focus towards power units and aerodynamics rather than tyres over the last few days. The final stages of testing are usually dedicated to optimising the car-tyre package, but it is clear some teams haven’t reached that point yet.

“Generally speaking, track feedback has been consistent with our simulation expectations. Drivers were able to gain confidence with the entire Pirelli range through both performance trials and long runs, even using the C4 and C5 compounds which aren’t particularly suited to a circuit like Sakhir.

“Mechanical resistance appeared strong across all options, with no signs of graining or blistering. Degradation levels are almost certainly higher now than what we expect for the Bahrain race, when temperatures will be lower and cars more developed.

“A central theme this season will certainly be balancing temperatures between the axles, especially ahead of the first race in Melbourne. The lower loads of a street circuit might require more intensive tyre preparation or differentiated tyre blanket temperatures, particularly in qualifying.

“In any case, it will be interesting to discover in Australia how much teams have been ‘sandbagging’ their engine power to avoid showing their hand. We only have to wait a couple of weeks to see the true pecking order.”

This week, 20,693 kilometres were covered, predominantly on the C3 (61%), which remained the most popular compound across both blocks of testing. In total, the eleven teams covered 41,366 kilometres over the six days, more than the Earth’s circumference. Since Wednesday, 326 sets of slick tyres were used, bringing the total for the entire pre-season to 591 sets.

At the end of day five, Kimi Antonelli recorded a time of 1:32.803s, beating his teammate George Russell, who had lowered the benchmark for the entire grid yesterday.

In truth, that limit was surpassed by four more drivers today, demonstrating the progress teams have made on track. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) clocked a 1:32.861s, Max Verstappen (Red Bull) finished in 1:33.162s, Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) in 1:33.408 and Lando Norris (McLaren) in 1:33.453s. The last one was the only one in the group to set his time on the C4, while all others used the C3.

In the final hour of the session, Alpine, Cadillac, and Williams each tested the C5 during a run. Franco Colapinto (Alpine) extracted the best potential from the compound with a time of 1:33.818s. Piastri, meanwhile, was the driver who achieved the fastest times on the C1 and C2, with 1:36.576s and 1:33.624s respectively.

Team run plans are now more closely aligned with what was seen on track last week. Teams are working to find the most effective package for their cars, testing new aerodynamic solutions and setups.

Interestingly, some teams are already attempting to identify the delta between different compounds through consecutive performance runs, stepping down the tyre hardness each time.

There was no shortage of long runs, such as Audi’s 23 laps on the C1 or Red Bull’s equal distance on the C2. This morning, Albon also pushed the C4 for 17 laps using a set that had already completed six. The times obtained will be valuable for evaluating the potential use of this compound during future races.

Out of the 1311 laps completed today on a track that reached a peak of 45°C, the C3 was once again the most used compound with 729 laps (55%). This was followed in descending order by the C2, C1, C4, and C5 (with only 12 laps).

Six drivers did not take to the wheel today: Isack Hadjar (Red Bull), Pierre Gasly (Alpine), Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), Lance Stroll (Aston Martin), Arvin Lindblad (Racing Bulls), and Carlos Sainz (Williams).

The five quickest laps of Wednesday were all set on the C3 compound, in track conditions very similar to those seen during the previous three days of running. Unlike last week, teams were able to select 24 sets of dry tyres from the full range of Pirelli compounds.

The C3 proved to be the tyre of choice, accounting for 72% of the total mileage with 842 laps completed. The C2 covered 227 laps (19%), while the C1 was used for 48 laps (4%). In terms of distance, the three compounds, starting with the C1, covered 259, 1,228 and 4,556 kilometres respectively.

While no team opted to run the C5, the C4 saw only limited use, mainly in the closing hours of the session as track temperatures began to fall. McLaren, Red Bull and Williams used the compound primarily for performance runs, completing a combined total of 47 laps (254 kilometres, 4% of the day’s running). The only exception was a 12-lap stint from Piastri on a set that had already completed seven laps.

Piastri also set the fastest time on the C4 (1:33.641) and the quickest on the C2 (1:34.067). The hardest compound, the C1, saw Russell post the benchmark lap of 1:37.094. Overall, teams appeared to have focused the day on evaluating different car set-ups through a series of short runs. Among the longer stints was a 15-lap run from Sergio Perez (Cadillac) on C1 tyres.

The notable absentee on track was Max Verstappen, the only driver not to take part in the day’s running, which concluded with a test of a new starting light sequence procedure.

Ambient temperatures were slightly cooler than last Friday, although track temperatures still peaked at 44°C. Air temperatures ranged from a low of 24°C to a high of 31°C. Track action resumes tomorrow from 10:00 to 19:00 local time.

Taking the full 24 hours of track activity from Wednesday to Friday into account, Antonelli and Russell are the only drivers to have broken the 1:34 barrier. Oscar Piastri (McLaren), who finished the day fourth, set the best times on the two hardest compounds, posting a 1:36.234s on the C2 and a 1:36.899s on the C1. However, these benchmarks still stand to the credit of Lando Norris (McLaren) for the C2 (1:34.669s) and Max Verstappen (Red Bull) for the C1 (1:35.631s).

Following yesterday's trend, several teams focused on race simulations. Piastri pushed a set of C1s for 24 laps and a set of C2s for 22 laps. The longest runs on the C3 were completed by the two Mercedes drivers, with 18 laps each.

Mario Isola, Pirelli Motorsport Director: "These first three days of testing in Bahrain have been useful in confirming, following the shakedown week in Barcelona, that the results gathered during last year's development tests with mule cars are sufficiently representative. Compound characteristics seem to be in line with expectations and feedback from drivers has been positive. The new compounds have maintained good mechanical resistance, reducing the appearance of graining, as verified over the last few days, and seem to keep overheating under control.

It is clear that drivers are still adapting to the power delivery system. Evidence of some flat spots on the tyres suggests that drivers may have changed their approach to corners. On corner exit, by contrast, the electric power delivery tends to make the rear axle slip, increasing the surface temperature of the tyres and causing a slight loss of grip.

Next week, we expect teams to focus more on performance runs, though likely without revealing their full potential. Combined with the race simulations from these past few days, we will have a clearer picture of what to expect for the start of the season. This will allow us to refine the compound selections for races from Miami onwards, the first event for which tyres have not yet been shipped."

Throughout today’s 8-hour session, teams most frequently opted for the C3 compound, which covered 687 laps (48%). The C2 reached 431 laps (30%), while the hardest C1 covered 306 laps (21%). As expected, there were no surprises in these figures. Temperatures were slightly higher than on Wednesday and Thursday; the track reached 44°C (with a minimum of 27°C), while ambient air stayed between 27°C and 33°C.

Lando Norris, Pierre Gasly (Alpine), Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin), Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), and Arvin Lindblad (Racing Bulls) did not drive today.

Across the three days of testing at the Bahrain International Circuit, a total of 20.673 kilometres were covered by all cars, with 51% of that distance on the C3. Regarding sets used, the softest option (C3) saw 144 sets, compared to 79 for the C2 and 42 for the C1.

Teams and drivers now have a brief rest before the next session begins next Wednesday, again in Bahrain. While only the three hardest slick compounds were available this week, the next test will allow teams to choose an allocation of 24 sets including the full Pirelli range from C1 to C5. It will also be possible to carry over used sets of the first test week with no more than 9 laps on them.

The use of the three available slick compounds, the hardest in the Pirelli range and most suited to the Sakhir circuit, followed the same pattern as yesterday. The C1 accounted for 21% of today’s mileage, with a total of 259 laps completed. The C2 and C3 split the remaining laps: 28% (345 laps) for the former and 52% (649 laps) for the latter.

With Thursday’s session completed, the total number of tyre sets used rises to 87 for the C3, 49 for the C2 and 27 for the C1. No team chose to fit the Intermediates for installation laps today.

For most of the session, teams focused on set-up runs, but there were also some significant stints which, due to their length, could be representative of race conditions. Racing Bulls completed a 22-lap run on C1, Cadillac managed 19 laps on C2, and Ferrari completed 19 laps on C3.

The four drivers who did not take to the track yesterday ran today. Remaining in the garage this time were Max Verstappen (Red Bull), Oscar Piastri (McLaren), Lance Stroll (Aston Martin), Esteban Ocon (Haas), Franco Colapinto (Alpine) and Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari).

Weather and track conditions were very similar to those on the opening day, with track temperatures ranging between 25°C and 42°C and air temperatures between 24°C and 32°C. Testing resumes tomorrow at 10:00 local time and will conclude at 19:00.

Eighteen drivers took to the track, with temperatures ranging between 25 and 32°C, significantly higher than last year in Manama, when the mercury did not exceed 15°C. Track temperatures ranged from a low of 25°C to a high of 43°C.

Over the course of the eight hours of track activity, a total of 6,183 kilometres were completed. In this first round of testing (the second is scheduled for next week), teams are allowed to use only the three hardest slick compounds in the Pirelli range (C1, C2 and C3), which are best suited to the characteristics of the circuit, along with one set of Intermediates in case of wet conditions.

The C3 compound accounted for 53% of the laps, with 603 laps completed for a total of 3,262 km. The C2 was used for 382 laps (2,067 km), representing 33%, while the C1 covered 156 laps (844 km), equal to 14%. The set of Intermediates was fitted only by Esteban Ocon (Haas) for two installation laps at the start of the sessions.

In total, 11 sets of C1, 29 sets of C2 and 40 sets of C3 were used. Sergio Perez (Cadillac) completed the highest number of laps in a single run on the hardest compound (30 in total). The longest stints on C2 and C3 were completed by Max Verstappen (31 laps) and Esteban Ocon (25 laps), respectively.

Eight teams featured in the top ten of the timesheets. Norris set a 1:34.669, the fastest time of the day, achieved on the C2 compound. Behind him, on the softer C3 compound, were Max Verstappen (Red Bull) at +0.129s and Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) at +0.521s. The fastest lap on C1 was also set by the Dutchman, with a 1:35.631.

Isack Hadjar (Red Bull), Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin), Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) and Ollie Bearman (Haas) did not take to the track. Testing continues tomorrow and Friday, from 10:00 to 14:00 and from 15:00 to 19:00 local time.