The Formula 1 World Championship is back, and that means stress at the Pirelli offices, the sole supplier of the tires used by the 20 cars on the grid every weekend. For this course the Italian company added one more compoundso there are now a total of eight different ones, a headache for the teams, since they play a fundamental role in the strategy of each race.
What types of tires are in Formula 1?
This year the Formula 1 teams will have eight different types of tires: On the one hand, there are the two types designed for wet conditions, both intermediate (green) and rain (blue). On the other, the six types of compounds for dry asphalt, the C0, C1, C2, C3, C4 and C5.
This numerical scale orders the dry tires from the hardest (C0), for circuits with high degradation conditions, to the softest (C5), for slower tracks and where there is less wear.
How are they distinguished?
The compounds can be differentiated very easily from the color code. Every weekend, Pirelli will send tires of three hardness levels: hard (white), medium (yellow) and soft (red). Keep in mind that, for example, a C2 might be soft on a weekend when Pirelli sends C0, C1 and C2 tyres, and on another weekend it can be hard if it sends C2, C3 and C4.
How many tires can be used in each GP?
Once Pirelli determines the three compounds available for the weekend, each team chooses a total of eleven sets of tires. Until last year, the teams had 14 sets of tyres, but the regulations have changed this year. Three of them must be reserved exclusively for free practice on Friday, so there are still eight available for Saturday qualifying and Sunday’s racewhere they must use at least two of the three types of compound.
What tires will be used in Bahrain?
For the first Grand Prix of the year, in Bahrain, Pirelli has announced that the compounds available will be the C3 (red) the C2 (yellow) and C1 (white) for qualifying and the race. That will be the options for the team led by Carlos Sainz and Fernando Alonso, who will seek to kick off the table in their debut.
