Softer tyres for F1's Istanbul return, hardest rubber for Losail

The final details of Pirelli’s tyre allocations for the 2021 F1 season have been confirmed following the addition of the Qatar Grand Prix to the calendar yesterday.

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F1’s official tyre supplier will bring the hardest rubber in its range for Formula 1’s first race at the Losail International Circuit. The C1, C2 and C3 compounds will be used at next month’s race on the 5.4-kilometre permanent track outside Doha.

The circuit features a series of medium-speed bends in quick succession, plus a long straight of over a kilometre leading into the first corner.

Softer tyres will be used for F1’s return to the Istanbul Park in Turkey next week. Pirelli brought its hardest tyres to the race last year, but will go one step softer on its allocation this time, bringing the C2, C3 and C4 compounds.

Artist's impression: Changes to Yas Marina circuit for 2021 — **Analysis: Will Yas Marina’s three key changes put an end to F1’s follow-my-leader finales?**

The Turkish track was resurfaced shortly before the 2020 race and yielded very poor grip levels which were exacerbated by the persistent rain throughout the weekend. Pirelli made its tyre selection before it emerged the Istanbul circuit had undergone a water jet cleaning procedure in order to improve grip levels.

There will be no change to Pirelli’s previously-announced tyre selection for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix despite the significant alterations which are being made to the track. Several of the slower corners at Yas Marina have been eased or removed, and lap times are expected to be slashed as a result.

Nonetheless Pirelli’s selection of the softest tyres in its range – C3, C4 and C5 – remains unchanged. The manufacturer told RaceFans it decided against supplying harder rubber as it was concerned doing so could make it difficult for drivers to generate heat in their front tyres.

2021 F1 tyre selections

Race	Track	Hard	Medium	Soft
1	Bahrain International Circuit	C2	C3	C4
2	Imola	C2	C3	C4
3	Autodromo do Algarve	C1	C2	C3
4	Circuit de Catalunya	C1	C2	C3
5	Monaco	C3	C4	C5
6	Baku City Circuit	C3	C4	C5
7	Paul Ricard	C2	C3	C4
8	Red Bull Ring (Austrian Grand Prix)	C2	C3	C4
9	Red Bull Ring (Styrian Grand Prix)	C3	C4	C5
10	Silverstone	C1	C2	C3
11	Hungaroring	C2	C3	C4
12	Spa-Francorchamps	C2	C3	C4
13	Zandvoort	C1	C2	C3
14	Monza	C2	C3	C4
15	Sochi Autodrom	C3	C4	C5
16	Istanbul Park	C2	C3	C4
17	Circuit of the Americas	C2	C3	C4
18	Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez	C2	C3	C4
19	Interlagos	C2	C3	C4
20	Losail International Circuit	C1	C2	C3
21	Jeddah Corniche Circuit	C2	C3	C4
22	Yas Marina	C3	C4	C5

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11 comments on “Softer tyres chosen for F1’s Istanbul return, hardest rubber for Losail”

Mayrton
1st October 2021, 12:32

We’ll know which team benefits the most from these choices as soon as the other team starts complaining. My bet is on Horner.
1. erikje
  1st October 2021, 12:52
  
  Well, we do know generating heat in the front tires is a typical Mercedes problem. So objectively pirelli want to avoid influence on the championship… Or they wanted to help Mercedes.
  Matter of perspective.
Gabriel (@gabf1)
1st October 2021, 13:16

Hardest tyres for Losail (Qatar) = 1 stop procession in the night. Sigh.
1. theRealMax (@millionus)
  1st October 2021, 14:47
  
  Yep. If in doubt go hardest seems to be the pirelli way.!
  1. Mayrton
    2nd October 2021, 11:14
    
    Since it also clearly favors the Mercedes…
Jere (@jerejj)
1st October 2021, 14:06

Weird choice for Losail. Yes, F1 has never raced on this circuit but doesn’t look particularly hard on tyres.
1. Coventry Climax
  1st October 2021, 14:41
  
  Upon first looks, @erikjes ‘matter of perspective’ seems valid here too, in a way. We know (Zandvoort was quite blatant, for example) Pirelli are peeing in their pants for fear of having tyre troubles yet again, so for a circuit they do not know (yet should have) their choice for hardest compounds is exactly what was to be expected. That, in it’s turn, helps the teams that run the most downforce. So, safe choice or influencing the championship?
  On the other hand, this brings me to a question: Teams normally have to make tyre choices well in advance, whereas, apparently, Pirelli can mess around (and influence) until shortly before a race. How is this with a newly added circuit? Do teams now have the opportunity to ask for the compounds they would like after Pirelli has announced their choice?
  1. Coventry Climax
    1st October 2021, 14:44
    
    It’s the amount/number of each compund, that I’m referring too, obviously.
    1. Coventry Climax
      1st October 2021, 14:46
      
      The second ‘o’ from ‘too’ seems to have moved all by itself from the word ‘compound’ ;-)
  2. Adam (@adamgoh)
    1st October 2021, 16:01
    
    In 2021 the tyre allocations are fixed.
Mashiat (@mashiat)
1st October 2021, 16:33

Did they not change the compounds for the Abu Dhabi race to C2, C3 and C4 after the layout changes?