Pirelli has specified drivers must use the soft and medium compound tyres during the first race of 2016 in Australia as they did last year.
Formula One’s official tyre supplier has also selected the super-soft tyre for drivers to use in Q3. Drivers who do not reach Q3 will have the set available to use in the race.
All drivers will have one of each of the three types of tyre for the weekend, and can choose as many further sets of each as they wish for their remaining ten sets of tyres. They have one week to inform the FIA of their choices.
Pirelli has previously indicated the new ‘ultra soft’ tyre is likely to make its first appearance of the year at a street race.
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Sensord4notbeingafanboi (@peartree)
11th December 2015, 16:39
I don’t understand every year Pirelli does this. Haven’t they said Melbourne was better with soft and super-soft. There’s no long corners, they said they wanted to go more aggressive but they are leaving this to the teams.
Sean (@mightyfitz)
11th December 2015, 18:29
The roads in Albert park are public I believe. So perhaps they want to choose the nore durable tyres.
Joao (@johnmilk)
11th December 2015, 18:58
They are even buttery this year
Mashiat (@mashiat)
11th December 2015, 17:16
Wait, so a team can use the super-soft, the soft and the medium tyre for the race? So which is the option and the prime? And do they have to use the soft and the medium for the race?
mike
12th December 2015, 12:33
Only if they don’t reach Q3. Q1 or !2 qualifiers also have the Super soft for the race.
I absolutely hate the handicap.
Can’t answer about what they must use, not sure I understand it.
Mashiat (@mashiat)
11th December 2015, 17:20
I think that the best solution to improve races and promote overtaking is do what Pirelli often did in 2013; pick 1 qualifying tyre and 1 race tyre as the two compounds. This always proved to be interesting as you would have the front-runners running with the qualifying tyres at the start, then pitting earlier and being forced to overtake the slower cars on mediums. Every single race which used that format was great: Australia, China, Germany, India; all great races!
Imre (@f1mre)
11th December 2015, 18:32
So drivers qualifying for Q3 on the softest tyre will have to use 3 different sets of tyres during the race…
Alianora La Canta (@alianora-la-canta)
11th December 2015, 18:37
Not so. Drivers will still start on the tyre they set their Q2 time on if they have such a time, and the compulsory ultrasoft isn’t available until Q3.
Imre (@f1mre)
11th December 2015, 19:23
It is available if they choose them. (10 free compound choice)
Taris
11th December 2015, 21:18
So they can choose any of the three compunds? For example: 3M + 3S + 3SS?
Imre (@f1mre)
12th December 2015, 14:23
I think yes. Or even 1M 1S 11SS.
Corey
11th December 2015, 21:51
The Ultra softs are not being used for Australia. I think when they said they softest compound available will be used for Q3 meant the softest of the three compounds Pirellis will bring to the track. In this case, it is the Super Softs.
SatchelCharge (@satchelcharge)
11th December 2015, 19:38
So this means no one can run the ultra-soft or hard tire at this event? Right?
montreal95 (@montreal95)
12th December 2015, 2:20
@satchelcharge Yes. Only 3 out of 5 compounds may be used at each race as opposed to 2 compounds out of 4 in 2015. Basically the change is two-fold: one more compound available to choose from at each weekend and every driver can choose for himself(as opposed to Pirelli choosing in 2015) how many sets of the three compounds he wants to use in the weekend. So for example Vettel may choose to use 5 sets of medium, 5 sets of soft, 3sets supersoft. And Raikkonen may choose that he wants 4 sets of medium, 5 sets of soft and 4 sets of supersoft etc.
DonSmee (@david-beau)
11th December 2015, 20:22
I think there is only one mandatory race tyre and not two right?
montreal95 (@montreal95)
12th December 2015, 2:24
@david-beau Yes. Only one of the two nominated sets must be used in the race. However you still must use 2 different compounds. So for example in Aus you may use either Soft/Med, Soft/Supersoft, Med/ Supersoft or even Soft/Med/Supersoft
HK (@me4me)
11th December 2015, 22:01
Is that really correct? Aren’t they allowed to used the super-softs as well?
BJ (@beejis60)
14th December 2015, 1:06
@me4me As in they need to run two compounds during the race, of which, the soft will be the tire everyone in the top ten will start on (due to the rule of using q2 tires) and then any other compound thereafter.
HK (@me4me)
14th December 2015, 9:42
@beejis60, most people will probably use super-softs in Q2 so they’ll start on that tire.
I’ve been checking Pirelli’s statement and it says teams have to reserve a set of softs and a set of mediums for the race, but are only forced to use one of those sets.
I think top teams will do Q1 on softs, then Q2&Q3 on super-softs, and start the race on Super-softs and then do a dubble stint on softs.
Bullfrog (@bullfrog)
11th December 2015, 22:56
Well, it’s gonna take most of the winter to get my head round these tyre rules.
If there’s a Safety Car, I’d be tempted to do a lap on inters and then I can run whatever I like.
montreal95 (@montreal95)
12th December 2015, 2:29
@bullfrog Not that complicated actually. See my reply to @satchelcharge above. And you can only use whatever tires you’d like if the race director declared the race wet. Not when you’d decided for yourself to put inters for a lap
Glenn (@glennb)
12th December 2015, 0:26
When did Melbourne stop being a street race? Granted it’s not Monaco buy hey….
Dan
12th December 2015, 11:47
I didn’t think F1 could make the sport more impenetrable to all but the most committed fan. But it has! Well done, chaps!
mike
12th December 2015, 12:34
They aimed high and scored.
Imre (@f1mre)
12th December 2015, 19:39
Why? “Casual” viewers don’t even notice the change.
pSynrg (@psynrg)
14th December 2015, 13:17
Even the most committed fan’s are scratching their heads…