Pirelli brought harder compounds to São Paulo.

      Pirelli have brought tyre compounds to the São Paulo Grand Prix that are one step harder than a year ago, although C2, C3 and C4 were used as Hard, Medium and Soft in 2023.

      Last year on Friday and Saturday it became clear that the slicks were subject to intense wear and degradation, particularly on the tyres mounted on the front wheels. Because the asphalt had been completely resurfaced, its surface was very smooth and less abrasive than in previous years, although there were still quite a few bumps around the circuit.

      If this year’s weather conditions are the same as then, taking into account the natural ageing of the asphalt, the harder compounds can be expected to be more resistant to wear. Although in 2025 all compounds are less prone to degradation compared with last year’s tyres. Therefore it is quite possible that teams will have the opportunity to use the soft tyres more widely, which a year ago were only useful in sprint qualifying.

      The Interlagos circuit has an interesting configuration, it runs counter-clockwise, and its 15 turns subject the tyres to moderate loads, with Pirelli noting that lateral and longitudinal loads are roughly balanced. The same applies to the distribution of loads across the car’s axles.

      At this time of year there is a high chance of rain and temperatures can also vary widely, so it is quite possible that teams will have to work with wet-weather tyres. That was the case in 2024, although had the race been run on a dry surface, judging by the data gathered in practice on degradation and wear, one could have expected a two-stop strategy to have been the most sensible.