Why do drivers have to make two pit-stops in Qatar?

Formula 1 drivers will need to make at least two pit-stops at the Qatar Grand Prix.

The mandatory two-stop has been imposed after tyre suppliers Pirelli held talks with the teams and governing body FIA regarding driver safety.

Tyres have been restricted to a maximum length of 25 laps of the Lusail International Circuit.

As the race is 57 laps, it means that at least two pit-stops must be made, either on or before the 25th lap.

The 19-lap sprint race will be unaffected by the tyre restriction.

Laps to the grid, formation laps, and laps after the chequered flag are not counted in the 25-lap stint regulation, but laps behind the safety car or virtual safety car will.

For the 2023 edition, Pirelli enforced an 18-lap stint length because of concerns about tyre wear and damage which could be picked up during the race.

While there were no restrictions in place for tyres in 2024, Pirelli said the tyres used showed high levels of wear. Both Lewis Hamilton and Carlos Sainz suffered punctures in that race.

Pirelli say the measure "has been deemed necessary" following analysis of the tyres used in 2024.

"Last year, several tyres, particularly the left front, had reached the maximum wear level," Pirelli said.

"These conditions, combined with the high lateral energy, had increased the structural fatigue of the construction."

This is the second occasion in the 2025 season where teams faced tyre restrictions.

At the Monaco Grand Prix, drivers had to make two mandatory pit-stops, imposed to improve on-track action.

Pirelli have selected the hardest tyre compounds in their range for the 57-lap race.

The tyre suppliers said that the Lusail International Circuit is "very demanding on tyres in terms of energy, thermal stress and wear", resulting in the most durable tyres being made available for drivers.

The C1 tyres will be used as the hard compound which are white, C2 as the yellow mediums and C3 as the red soft tyres.

For the sprint race, each driver will have two sets of hard tyres, four mediums and six softs.

Intermediates and full wet tyres are also available, should they be needed.

What will the weather be like in Qatar?

Weather can affect tyres significantly.

The BBC's F1 forecaster Ian Fergusson has given an update on what the conditions could be like in Qatar.

"This year's Qatar Grand Prix weekend will be held under dry, settled and sunny conditions as high pressure controls the regional weather there," he said.

"Temperatures will tend to be around the seasonal average and peaking each day in the high 20s C. For the sprint on Saturday, temperature will be about 25C, but it will have dropped into the lower 20s for sprint qualifying, qualifying and Sunday's race.

"Winds will be light to moderate and from a northerly to north-easterly quarter throughout the weekend.

"So, for this compelling season's penultimate round, at least the teams and drivers won't have to worry about any extreme weather being thrown into the mix."

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