“Race will be destroyed”: Komatsu’s opinion on Pirelli’s choice for Qatar
- Lucrezia Marano
- 7 minutes ago
- 3 min read
Written by Lucrezia Marano, Edited by Marit Everett
Ayao Komatsu, Haas team principal, raised a strong criticism regarding Pirelli’s decision to impose a maximum limit of 25 laps for each set of tires during the Qatar Grand Prix, a rule that in fact obliges every driver to make at least two pit stops in a 57-lap race.
This decision, taken in agreement with Formula One and the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), is motivated by safety reasons: explained by the company itself, after an analysis of the tires used in the 2024 Grand Prix, some sets had reached critical levels of wear due to the great lateral effort generated by the Lusail circuit.
Pirelli has also clarified that the 25 laps are counted cumulatively on all sessions, including laps made under safety car or virtual safety car, making the strategic limit even more binding.
Komatsu harshly attacked this measure: “I do not agree with these artificial limits”, he said, claiming that Pirelli is regarding “for fear” after the problems occurred in 2024, but that the solution chosen goes too far.
He believes the main issue isn’t implementing one or more stops but the loss of strategic variety as all teams will be compelled to adopt similar decisions, removing the chance to pursue diverse strategies.
Komatsu provides an example illustrating how variable tactics add excitement and tension to the race: “take Brazil and Mexico for example. These races are thrilling because tire wear permits strategies involving one, two and even three stops”.
For the team principal, these strategic variants are what make the sport interesting, and they should not be stifled by rules imposed from above.
Moreover, Komatsu expresses the fear that the race in Qatar could negatively resemble the 2023 Grand Prix, when a limit of 18 laps per tire set was imposed, forcing all drivers to an almost identical strategy.
On that occasion, the uniformity of the strategies had “impoverished the show”, according to the Haas team principal, and he fears that history will repeat itself with the current rule.
On the other hand, Pirelli defends its choice with numbers in hand. In its official statement, the company emphasises how the Lusail International Circuit is particularly demanding in terms of lateral energy and thermal wear.
The limit of 25 laps per set is therefore a preventive measure to avoid structural damage to the tires, especially after the problems encountered in 2024, when some sets had reached too high of degradation values.
Additionally, Pirelli decided to bring the hardest compounds available (C1, C2 and C3) to the Qatar Grand Prix, another strategy to maintain safety.
These decisions were not taken lightly, resulting from detailed analyses carried out in collaboration with the FIA, after months of technical discussions.
This tension comes at a delicate time as the FIA has suspended talks of a permanent rule of two mandatory pit stops until after the start of 2026, an issue that is already at centre of debates among the teams.
The temporary imposition on the Qatar GP, could therefore be seen as a test or a taste of what could happen in the future, but not everyone agrees with this direction.
The reaction of the public and the fans is varied. Some fear that the rule will result in a too homogeneous race, devoid of strategic gasps and unpredictability. Others, however, recognise the importance of safety, especially after past experiences with breakdowns or structural damage.
Ultimately, the controversy raised by Komatsu isn’t only a technical issue, it deals with fundamental principles of motorsport, such as the balance between safety and entertainment, between rules and strategic freedom. Pirelli’s decision could guarantee a safer race, but it also risks “flattening” it.
It will be interesting to see how the debate evolves in the next few weekends, especially if the FIA were to move forward with a permanent regulation on double stops in the coming years.
