Max Verstappen’s wishes have been granted – Pirelli did not use the C6 soft-compound tyre in Singapore and will not at the Las Vegas Grand Prix in November, after a change in plans. The Dutchman was extremely critical of the new step of F1 rubber, stating that the Italian company were ‘better off leaving it at home’.
Pirelli introduced the C6 earlier this year as a street circuit-specific design, but it drew backlash from some drivers, including Verstappen, who believed it disrupted race weekend preparation.
“I think I should have a conversation with Pirelli at some point and tell them to just leave that tyre at home, because it makes the whole weekend very tricky,” the Red Bull star said after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
“You have no proper reference on the mediums until qualifying. It doesn’t make any sense. Look, if the tyre doesn’t work here… It didn’t work in Monaco, it didn’t work in Imola, and in Montreal, it didn’t work either. Then you’re really better off leaving it at home.”
Now, Verstappen can rest easy. The Singapore Grand Prix was meant to witness the return of the C6 but did not, and Pirelli have changed its plans to bring the new tyre to the Las Vegas GP next month. However, the change was not sparked by the Dutchman directly.
“I have seen the comments,” explained Pirelli motorsport director Mario Isola to Motorsport.com. “I didn’t have the opportunity to talk to Max yet, but I will do that [later]. In any case, it’s not urgent because there is no plan to bring the C6 to any other race this year.”
Isola added: “The original idea of taking it to Singapore and Las Vegas was abandoned because the energy is much higher in Singapore, and in Las Vegas, the temperature is also an element to consider. You can generate graining on the C6, so it was not really an option.”
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However, the C6’s absence is not permanent. Pirelli will bring the tyre back for the 2026 season, although tweaks will be made to ensure a greater performance gap between it and the C5 soft compound rubber, generating a greater reward for using it.
“We are fully aware of the fact that the C5 and C6 are very close at the moment,” Isola continued. “The target for next year is to have those two compounds a bit more spaced, so with a bigger delta in order to have a proper position for the C6.
“It was the first time that we were using the C6 this year, that we decided to introduce a compound that is softer than the C5. We have learned from it, and we know that when we are going to homologate the compounds for next year, they have to be different.”