Max Verstappen set for F1 talks as change affects two races in 2025

Max Verstappen's pleas have been answered - Pirelli opted against using the C6 soft-compound tyre in Singapore and won't be deploying it at the Las Vegas Grand Prix in November, following a U-turn in strategy.

The Dutchman had been scathing in his assessment of the latest generation of F1 rubber, insisting the Italian manufacturer were "better off leaving it at home".

Pirelli unveiled the C6 earlier this year as a street circuit-specific design, but it sparked fury from several drivers, including Verstappen, who felt it threw race weekend preparation into chaos.

"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 ace said following 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 breathe a sigh of relief. The Singapore Grand Prix was scheduled to witness the comeback of the C6 but didn't, and Pirelli have scrapped their plans to introduce the new tyre to the Las Vegas GP next month.

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Nevertheless, the alteration wasn't triggered by the Dutchman directly. Pirelli motorsport director Mario Isola has responded to comments about the C6 tyre, telling Motorsport.com: "I have seen the comments. 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 further explained: "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."

However, the C6 tyre isn't gone for good. Pirelli plans to reintroduce the tyre in the 2026 season, with modifications to ensure a larger performance gap between it and the C5 soft compound rubber, thus offering a greater reward for its use.

"We are fully aware of the fact that the C5 and C6 are very close at the moment," Isola added. "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."