R8 – Tyre Selection

The Monaco Grand Prix is one of the most iconic and prestigious events on the Formula 1 calendar, not just because of its long history but also because of the mystique that surrounds it.

Narrow streets, tight turns, steep climbs and descents and the famous tunnel that leads onto the harbour are some of the defining characteristics that make Monaco a track like no other. It’s a place where precision is more important than power, with virtually no room for mistakes.

Winding its way through the streets of the Principality usually open to normal traffic, the track is 3.337 kilometres long and tackled 78 times in the race.
Very narrow with 19 corners, some of them very tight, there are virtually no run-off areas and the barriers are so close that the drivers often brush up against them.

Around half the track has been resurfaced, specifically from Turn 12 to Turn 3, so that this section should now be as smooth as the rest of the circuit.
This type of surface does not promote tyre grip and could lead to graining, especially in the first couple of practice sessions.

For a second consecutive race, Pirelli has selected the three softest compounds from the 2025 range.
As in Imola last week, the C4 (Hard), C5 (Medium) and C6 (Soft), with the first two being the mandatory compounds for the race.

This weekend will see an important change to the regulations, specifically for this event only.
During the race, two pit stops will be mandatory, the aim for this is to inject more excitement into a race that has often been very linear and predictable.

In the Monaco Grand Prix drivers usually pit just once to change tyres, but last year out of theoretical field of 20, only six drivers made an actual in-race pit stop.

That was because the race was red flagged on the opening lap so that all the drivers still in the race were able to immediately adhere to the rule that two different compounds must be used, with the nine who started on the medium switching to the hard and the remaining 11 doing the opposite.