After the compounds chosen in Australia, for the race weekend in Azerbaijan from 28 to 30 April ea Miami from 5 to 7 May, Pirelli has chosen to confirm the same selection of compounds used in the respective Grands Prix last year. In Imola instead, from 19 to 21 May, the three of a kind will be softer than that used in the 2022 tender.
Pirelli, here are the choices for Baku
On the Baku street circuit, teams will be able to choose C3 as P Zero White hard, C4 as P Zero Yellow medium and C5 as P Zero Red soft. The selection of compounds will be the softest in the Pirelli range, which is well suited to the tight corners of the city center combined with the fast straights with peaks of 340km/h. The most frequent strategy for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix is a single stop, although in 2022 some teams have decided to make a second pitstop taking advantage of a virtual safety car before the end of the race. A year ago, when the race was held in early June, the thermal degradation was significant due to the high temperature of the asphalt.
The compounds for Miami
Trio of central compounds for the Miami Grand Prix, which will have C2 as P Zero White hard, C3 as P Zero Yellow medium and C4 as P Zero Red soft. A choice, therefore, in the name of versatility for the track that develops around the Hard Rock Stadium and which has 19 bends and three long straights. The race on the street circuit can also be completed in a single stop, despite the two-stop strategy being faster in the simulations, as demonstrated last year thanks to the good handling of the Mediums which several riders fitted as first choice. In Florida, the variability of weather conditions will be a factor to take into consideration, both for the possibility of rain and for the wind.
The novelty of Imola
Pirelli will lead for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix a softer selection of compounds than the previous year, also considering the low severity of the circuit and the reduced tire wear recorded in 2022. The C3 will be used as P Zero White hard, C4 as P Zero Yellow medium and C5 as P Zero Red soft. In the Imola race it will be raced for the first time a different qualifying format which provides for only one type of usable compound for each session.
The new qualification format makes its debut
In Q1 the single-seaters will only be able to mount sets of Hards, in Q2 only the Mediums and the Softs will be reserved for Q3. The so-called "Alternative Tire Allocation", which will also be tested in another race weekend in addition to the Emilia Romagna one, will thus reduce the sets of tires available to the teams from 13 to 11. In the first race in Italy, the new Cinturato Blue Full Wet will also be introduced, the first Pirelli wet tires that can be used without tyrewarmers.
SOURCE: Pirelli F1 Medium
