Overview
- Pirelli reduced minimum starting tyre pressures by 1psi front and rear after Friday’s FP2, setting new minima at 25.0psi front and 24.0psi rear to try to stop pressures rising beyond expected running levels.
- Friday long‑run work exposed extreme thermal decay with some drivers losing as much as five seconds over ten laps, a pattern driven by very high track temperatures reported up to about 52°C.
- Pirelli and engineers warn the C3 and C4 compounds behave like single‑lap tyres when pushed because carcass temperatures are hard to cool, so qualifying may give drivers only one usable flying lap.
- On pace, Ferrari showed an unusual long‑run advantage with Charles Leclerc strongest in FP2 simulations while Mercedes and McLaren retained superior single‑lap speed and Red Bull looked weaker over longer stints.
- The expected race picture is at least two pit stops for most cars with undercuts likely to be potent and some teams possibly opting for three stops, so tyre management, pit timing and traffic will shape who gains places on Sunday.