Formula 1 teams will have more freedom with race strategy at Zandvoort this weekend after the FIA confirmed a notable adjustment to the sporting regulations.
The pit lane speed limit at the Dutch Grand Prix has been raised from 60kph to 80kph, a move designed to encourage more pit stops and reduce the strategic straitjacket that has characterized the event in recent years.
The Dutch venue has long been one of the trickiest circuits for overtaking, with its tight layout and narrow confines leaving teams reluctant to commit to multi-stop strategies.
The previous 60kph pit lane restriction, introduced as a safety measure to protect mechanics in the cramped pit area, often meant drivers lost too much time in the pits to consider a second stop.
With the new 80kph limit – the norm at most circuits – cutting the overall penalty, the FIA hopes teams will be more inclined to attempt two-stop races.
That prospect is further boosted by Pirelli’s choice to bring to the race a softer allocation of tyres than last season. The Italian manufacturer has nominated the C2, C3, and C4 compounds for Zandvoort – one step softer than its 2024 range.
This weekend also carries special significance for Pirelli, which celebrates its 500th Formula 1 world championship Grand Prix since debuting at the inaugural event at Silverstone in 1950.
On that day, Alfa Romeo swept the podium with Giuseppe Farina, Luigi Fagioli, and Reg Parnell all running on Pirelli rubber. Farina would later become F1’s first world champion.
©X/Formula1
Across its three separate eras in the championship – from 1950 to 1958, from 1981 to 1991, and continuously since 2011 – Pirelli has been a constant presence in the sport’s evolution. Since becoming exclusive supplier 14 years ago, the company has overseen modern Formula 1’s entire tyre era.
To commemorate the milestone, every slick tyre and car at Zandvoort will carry a special “500th GP” logo, with celebrations continuing into next weekend’s Italian Grand Prix at Monza, where Pirelli is also the title sponsor.
Read also: Why Zandvoort is saying goodbye to Formula 1 with ‘no regrets’
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