Pirelli to alter tyre choices for Monaco, Barcelona

Pirelli told Formula 1 teams on May 19 that Monaco and Barcelona-Catalunya will get different tyre selections as the championship heads into a three-race stretch from late May to mid-June. The tyre supplier said Monaco will again use the softest available trio, while Barcelona will move one step softer than it used a year ago. Pirelli said the change reflects the two circuits’ very different demands. It also said the Barcelona choice is intended to increase the number of pit stops during the race. ### Which compounds did Pirelli choose for each race? Monaco will use C3 as the hard tyre, C4 as the medium and C5 as the soft, according to Pirelli’s May 19 announcement. The company said that selection was unchanged from recent years because Monte Carlo remains the lowest-average-speed circuit on the calendar, with a smooth surface and very little tyre degradation. (press.pirelli.com) Barcelona-Catalunya will use C2 as hard, C3 as medium and C4 as soft. Pirelli said that set is one step softer than the selection used there last year. ### Why are Monaco and Barcelona being treated so differently? Monte Carlo’s street circuit produces very little wear and makes overtaking difficult because of its narrow layout, Pirelli said. (press.pirelli.com) The company said driver precision is critical there and that tyre degradation is limited by the smooth asphalt and low-speed nature of the lap. Barcelona-Catalunya places much heavier demands on tyres, Pirelli said, because of its sequence of fast, long-radius corners and track temperatures that promote thermal degradation. That difference in track severity is why the two races are not being approached with the same compound logic. ### Why did Pirelli soften the Barcelona choice this year? (press.pirelli.com) Pirelli said the aim in Barcelona is to “encourage a greater number of pit stops during the race.” The company said its more consistent compound range for this season allowed it to move the selection softer than in 2025 while still matching the circuit’s high-energy demands. (press.pirelli.com) A 2025 Pirelli note on the same run of races showed how different the approach was a year earlier. In that document, Barcelona received the hardest trio — C1, C2 and C3 — while Monaco and Canada got the softest set. ### Does this solve Monaco’s race-day problem too? Pirelli’s May 19 note did not say the Monaco compound choice was designed to transform the race on its own. (press.pirelli.com) The company said the circuit’s characteristics still point to the softest trio because degradation is so low. Pirelli’s 2025 briefing said overtaking in Monaco is “virtually impossible” and noted that the FIA and Formula 1 had introduced a mandatory two-stop rule there that year while still requiring the use of at least two different compounds. (press.pirelli.com) That earlier explanation underscored how strategy changes in Monaco can depend as much on sporting rules as on tyre range alone. (press.pirelli.com) ### Where does this fit on the calendar? The FIA calendar lists the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal for May 24, followed by Monaco on June 7 and Barcelona-Catalunya on June 14. The 2026 calendar also shows Madrid hosting the Spanish Grand Prix later in the season on Sept. 13, with Barcelona-Catalunya carrying its own June round. (press.pirelli.com) Montreal is the next stop before the championship reaches the two circuits named in Pirelli’s announcement. Pirelli’s May 19 tyre decision therefore sets the strategic framework for the next European double-header after Canada. (press.pirelli.com) (fia.com)