Pirelli expects one pit stop, but does not rule out two.

      This year the legendary Italian Autodromo di Monza will host a Formula 1 race for the 75th time, and it is there that tyre-maker Pirelli plans to truly celebrate its 500th Grand Prix, which took place last weekend.

      We have already told about the special trophies prepared by the Italian company for the upcoming Grand Prix, where Pirelli is the title sponsor.

      It turns out their author, designer and sculptor Nico Vascellari, in the guise of a “Chimera” embodied his vision of the three fastest creatures living on our planet in three different environments – in the air, in the water and on land. That is, a peregrine falcon, a marlin and a cheetah.

      The trophies are made of aluminium, which is also used in the construction of Formula 1 cars, and will be presented to the press on Friday, 5 September, after the first practice.

      For the high-speed Monza circuit the tyre-maker has prepared the same compounds as last year: C3 as Hard, C4 as Medium and C5 as Soft. The asphalt surface there was completely renewed in 2024, and over 12 months its characteristics will inevitably have stabilised; the intensity of tyre graining should be noticeably less, but this is unlikely to have a significant effect on team tactics.

      As usual for the race, most participants will opt for the Hard and Medium compounds. At Monza the time lost during pit stops is among the greatest on the season calendar, so teams prefer to extend the opening stints as long as possible, favouring a one-stop strategy.

      Overtaking on this track is not that easy, which is related to the reduced “DRS effect”, since the cars’ aerodynamics are set to the lowest possible level of downforce. This is another factor affecting tactics; however, it should not be forgotten that temperatures in early September in Lombardy can be quite high, which affects the rate of degradation. Thus, it cannot be ruled out that under certain conditions a two-stop strategy may become more attractive.