Having already announced the compounds for the next GPs, the compound choices for the Monaco and Spanish Grands Prix were communicated to all the teams today. In the Principality, from 26 to 28 May, the ten teams will have the three softest compounds at their disposal, C3, C4 and C5. In Barcelona, however, from 2 to 4 June, the trio chosen is C1, C2 and C3.
The soft compounds are confirmed in Monaco
As a tradition, for the Monaco race confirms the choice of the softest compounds in the range. On the streets of the Monte-Carlo street circuit, the tires are little used. There are two reasons: the first is because the cars go through them at lower speeds than in the other rounds of the world championship. The other reason is because asphalt is not particularly abrasive, far from it! Furthermore, the roads are reopened every evening and therefore, due to the continuous passage of private vehicles, the track is not rubberized as usually happens. The level of grip riders are normally used to Formula 1 it is therefore primarily sought through a high downforce aerodynamic setup. We are talking about the highest of the entire world championship calendar.
Choices for Barcelona
The Circuit de Catalunya-Barcelona has now become a "classic" of the season. The Spanish Grand Prix has been held continuously on this track since 1991. This year there is a return to the old in the layout, with the removal of the last chicane and a consequent shortening of the length of the lap, now reduced to 4,657 kilometres. This modification will make the last sector much more streamlined and less harsh on the tires in terms of traction but, at the same time, will subject them to further lateral stress in the last two fast corners, now 14 and 15, already put to the test in other points of the circuit, such as turns 3 and 9. Another factor that will have to be taken into consideration in terms of degradation is the temperature of the asphalt, given that last year, despite the race being scheduled a few weeks earlier, it had already reached 50 degrees on the track.
Pirelli chooses C1,C2,C3 for Barcelona
Therefore, for this race Pirelli chose the C1 compounds as hard, C2 including medium and C3 as soft. If nominally it is the same range as last year, in 2023 the C1 is a new compound (the hardest available is the C0) which made its debut in a positive way precisely in the first Grand Prix of the season, in Bahrain.
SOURCE: Pirelli F1 Media
