Three Formula 2 drivers have questioned the use of the super-soft Pirelli tyre at Spa-Francorchamps for the seventh round of the 2026 season.
The championship’s tyre supplier has opted to bring two tyre compounds with a step between them for this round with the super-soft replacing the soft compound alongside the yellow-marked medium.
The super-soft tyre brings greater performance over a single lap, but is not as robust in its duration as harder tyre compounds.
It’s led Rodin’s Alex Dunne to suggest that many cars will be on the same strategy during Sunday’s Feature Race in Belgium.
Dunne, who qualified third, told media on Friday that he wasn’t sure why the suppliers made that decision, adding he didn’t think it was the right one.
“I’m not sure if changing to super soft was the right choice,” the 20-year-old said. said: “I think the degradation on soft last year was already on the higher side, and for whatever reason we decided to go to an even softer compound.”
Drivers are allowed to make their mandatory pit stop during the Feature Race from the end of Lap 6, and Ireland’s Dunne is expecting a busy pit lane at that point in the race, if it is dry.
“I imagine the majority of the grid will be in on lap six, because I expect the?deg on?Supersoft to be really high.”
Flying through Eau Rouge ?
Name a better sight; we'll wait… ?#F2 #BelgianGP pic.twitter.com/LckMSCZoIC
— Formula 2 (@Formula2) July 17, 2026
Tyre management could be trump card in victory chase
Pole-sitter Rafa Camara agreed with his championship rival, saying that bringing the super-soft was perhaps “not the good choice”, adding: “We’ll see if we can survive until the pit stop.”
The Brazilian added that it will be key to get the car setup into a window where the tyres are looked after during the 7km laps of the Spa circuit.
ART’s Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak, who qualified a career-best second, told InsideF2 that it will be “interesting” to see how the tyre situation affects the race.
“I don’t imagine it to be great, so I think having the deg being a factor in the races is a huge thing. Overall, it will be about who manages the tyres best,” the Thai driver told us.
Dunne had the final comment, telling us that there will likely be question marks over how the super-soft tyre performs in race conditions going into Sunday’s Feature Race.
The Alpine Academy driver said: “I think the big challenge is going to be the Super soft. I think what we’ll see on the medium should be relatively normal in terms of what we experienced in previous weekends and previous years.
“But I think the one thing that everybody will have the question mark over that we’re not really gonna get to test is the Super soft on Sunday.”
All the drivers will likely start Saturday’s Sprint Race on a set of the medium compound tyres, however, a late safety car could see some teams and drivers dive to the pit lane and use the super-soft, in an effort to gain positions late on.
Should that situation arise, the front-runners may head into Sunday’s race with a bit more information about the super-soft tyre.
What has Pirelli said about the tyres?
Ahead of the weekend, tyre supplier Pirelli said: “Given the characteristics of the circuit, graining could occur on both compounds, accelerating their degradation.
“In this scenario, the Supersoft may already lose competitiveness after six laps. Tyre management therefore becomes crucial, particularly on the Medium, which will be decisive in maintaining a good pace in the closing stages of the race.
“The Supersoft, on the other hand, could benefit from the long full-throttle sections to contain thermal degradation.
“On paper, the fastest strategy for the Feature Race is Medium-Supersoft, although potential Safety Car periods will need to be taken into account, as they could favour the opposite approach.”
Image Credit – Formula Motorsport Limited via Getty
