Team Representatives: Frederic Vasseur, Steve Nielsen and Mario Isola.
Mario, perhaps we could start with you. One of the big tech stories coming into this weekend is the 25-lap limit on each set of tyres. Can we start by you telling us why you've imposed that limit?
Mario Isola: Yeah. That comes from last year. As you know, we had a couple of punctures during the race, but after the race, we also analysed the tyres used, as we always do. And it was clear that they were worn at 100% or even more. There was already an indication on Saturday after the Sprint, with 25-26 laps they were quite worn. So, during the race, going up to 34-35 laps basically was pushing the tyres to run on a high severity circuit without a tread. And when you are running without tread, there is a big risk of puncture. You damage the construction. So, we made the proposal to the Sporting Committee in March to limit the mileage, and then we decided to go in this direction.
We've been here before a couple of years ago. It was an 18-lap limit, right? Why the increase to 25 this time?
MI: Because it was a different issue. Two years ago, it was a damage on the sidewall caused by the kerbs. Then we made some analysis on tyres, and we asked for modification of the kerbs, which the circuit did. It was successful, so we didn't find the damage on the sidewall, on the compound of the sidewall. But in that case, it was a different problem with the excessive wear, especially on the front left.
Let's throw it forward to 2026. Like the teams, Pirelli has been juggling the current season with developments for '26. Just how difficult has it been for you to develop those new compounds and tyres without a 2026 car on which to test them?
MI: It is a situation we know from the past, when we had to move from 13 to 18-inch, or with the wider tyres in 2017. It was important to work with the teams, not only on track but also with the virtual model of the tyre and with the help of the teams and their simulators. We had feedback on the expected performance of the car. So, we have worked in parallel between the virtual environment and testing on track with the mule cars. Now we have finalised the development. Construction was homologated in September, and now we've just decided the compounds for next year. So let's see in Abu Dhabi.
You're testing them in Abu Dhabi in a couple of weeks' time. What are the headlines for us about the new compounds?
MI: Basically, we decided to homologate five compounds from C1 to C5 because we found compounds with a good delta lap time between them. Not knowing the cars, obviously we wanted to have a delta that is slightly bigger than the current one. They are well spaced in terms of degradation. So, the idea was to have the flexibility to move softer or harder depending on what we find in the first races of next season.
Steve, why don't we come to you now? While we're talking 2026, tell us what's going on in Enstone at the minute with regards to next year's car?
Steve Nielsen: Well, probably like all the other teams, Enstone's a hive of activity. If you go in all the departments, all you'll see is parts for next year's car - chassis and gearboxes and all sorts of stuff. I think we're about to go into what is, certainly in my memory, one of the shortest winter breaks. Somebody told me yesterday that from the chequered flag in Abu Dhabi to the first time our car goes on the track is 36 days, and that includes the compulsory winter shutdown. So, work that would normally have taken place over two or three months has been compressed into literally four weeks. The overlap between finishing racing in 2025 and producing the 2026 car is massive. We are racing here this year, but Enstone is completely on 2026 and has been for some time.
I can understand that. But how important is it to end this '25 season with a bit of positive momentum? We've seen an upswing in performance at the last couple of races. Has that been track specific, or have you found something with the car?
SN: I think it's a combination of quite a few things, honestly. It's an upswing because the bar's been set pretty low for us recently, which is not great. It's not where we want to be. It is true that the last couple of races we picked up a bit. It's probably something to do with track temperature - cooler temperatures in Brazil, certainly cooler in Las Vegas. Temperatures are a bit higher here, so that might hurt us more than we'd like. But of course, we want to go into the winter with a nice result and a positive feeling for our workforce, our sponsors, and everybody else. The amount of work ahead of us in the winter is massive, but it's a bit of a springboard if at the last race, or the last few races, you have some nice results. So, we're trying.
Steve, you've now been back at the team for three months. What has impressed you the most about what you've found at Enstone?
Frederic Vasseur: The weather!
SN: The weather you say? [laughs] I mean, it's a cliché, but it's a racing team. It's full of people with racing spirit. It's had mixed results recently, but I think there's a passion and a will to put it back to where it has been in the past. The dedication is huge, from the top to the bottom of the company. It's my job to coordinate that, strengthen the areas that are good, re-strengthen the areas where we are weak, and bring some common sense and consistency to the management. There's been too many changes over the last few years at Enstone. I don't criticise any of my predecessors, but it's time for patience, common sense, and consistency. We want the team to be better, and patience and Formula 1 don't go well together, but that's the task. We have to spend the next few years building, and it's a slow, grinding process. It's F1 - there are no magic bullets. You just have to fix a million details - in place, people. More than anything, it's a people business. So, I've kind of relearned that lesson, if you like.
Fred, coming to you now. Your drivers' comments in the media in recent weeks have attracted a lot of attention. Let's start by talking about that. How difficult has it been for you to manage that situation?
Fred Vasseur: Well, honestly, I perfectly understand the frustration of the drivers after a crash, or even more when they are not responsible, or a difficult performance. We have exactly the same frustration in the garage or on the pit wall. The most important is to react after the frustration. I think, honestly, the frustration sometimes is good. The most important thing is to be able to react from the Monday morning and to be focused on the next one, on the next year also, and on the future. You can't imagine, and I would be even more frustrated, if the drivers were happy when we have a tough weekend.
But when you've discussed it with the drivers and the attention they're bringing to the team in that way, how did those conversations go? Were they apologetic? What did they say?
FV: I don't think we went so far. It was not a drama, honestly. You know my two drivers - they are like they are, and I perfectly accept this. I'm fully aligned with this frustration - we have exactly the same on the pit wall. When you have a crash in Brazil and Charles is out of the race because Piastri and Antonelli are crashing together, for sure we have huge frustration. We put so much effort during the season to try to fight for P2, and in one tenth of a second you are losing a potential P2. It's huge. Or when you don't have the good race because we have a technical issue or whatever. But this frustration, I think, is part of the DNA of what we are doing. Then from driver to driver, there have different ways to express their frustration, but everybody has exactly the same.
You're 53 points behind Mercedes, 13 behind Red Bull. Let's talk about that Constructors' Championship battle. How do you see it playing out over these last couple of weekends?
FV: I would prefer to be P2 with some points ahead of the others, but honestly, I'm not paying attention to this gap. I even didn't know last year when we arrived in Abu Dhabi what was the gap with McLaren, and you told me in the press conference. We have to be focused on ourselves to do the best that we can in the next two weekends. We have two-and-a-half races to go, and we still have some good points on the table. Let's be focused on ourselves to try to do the best, and we'll see in Abu Dhabi where we are.
Fred, final one from me. This is the last time you're going to be in a press conference this year. Can you reflect for a moment on the 2025 season, why it panned out as it did, and at what point in the season did you realise that perhaps it was going to be tougher than you were hoping for?
FV: We didn't start in the best way with the double disqualification in China. This cost us tons of points compared to our direct competitors. Quite early in the season, McLaren was so dominating in the first four or five events that we realised it would be very difficult for 2025. It meant that we decided very early in the season - I think it was the end of April - to switch to '26. It was a tough call. Perhaps I also underestimated a little bit the call on the psychological side, because when you still have 20 races to go, or 18 races to go, and you know that you won't bring any aero development, it's quite tough to manage psychologically. But overall, we continued to push. We brought some mechanical upgrades, and we are trying to do a better job operationally, and this is the DNA of our sport. We have to accept this. It was a call, and I'm still confident with the call that we made. Now let's fight for P2 with these conditions.
Check out our Friday gallery from Lusail here.
sign in