From Monaco To Montreal, All The Compounds Are In Play

Pirelli has informed the teams of its choice of compounds for the three races that run from the end of May to mid-June. All six of this year’s homologated compounds from Formula 1’s Global Tyre Supplier will come into play: Monaco and Canada will see the softest trio on track, the same selection as for the upcoming seventh Grand Prix of the season at Imola, while the hardest trio will be available for Barcelona.

The choice of the C4, C5 and C6 for the two street circuits is hardly a surprise. The C6 was homologated at the end of 2025 specifically to offer a wider range of strategy choices in some races where the forces exerted on the tyres are not very high, such as these two tracks. In fact, while the low level of severity is the factor that makes it possible to go for a step softer than last year’s selection, in Montreal the high top speeds and significant longitudinal forces will make for a demanding test for this trio of compounds, as indeed will Imola.

Overtaking is virtually impossible at the historic Monaco track and it’s unlikely that a tyre compound would make a big difference in a race where the speeds are very low and the track surface generates almost no tyre degradation. Therefore, while qualifying in Monaco is generally regarded as the most exciting of the whole season, Sunday is a different matter which is why the FIA and F1 have decided to make two pit stops during the race mandatory this year, while still requiring the use of at least two different compounds.

Between Monaco and Montreal there’s another long-standing event, the Spanish Grand Prix. The Barcelona-Catalunya track is one of the toughest of the year for tyres, because of its layout, with several very fast, long corners, and because of the high temperatures that typically lead to thermal degradation. Therefore, the hardest trio of compounds is the obvious choice – the C1 as Hard, the C2 as Medium and the C3 as Soft – the same selection seen previously this year in Suzuka and Sakhir.