8 - FLEXIBLE TYRE STRATEGIES
Two new compounds will be made available to the teams by Pirelli: the pink hyper-soft and orange super-hard.
While the super-hard is a backup solution (in the event that gains in grip would impose too high loads on the tyres), the hyper-soft rubber should be the qualifying tyre of choice. Despite degrading quite quickly, it was a second faster than the ultra-soft rubber at the Abu Dhabi post-season test at the end of last year. More generally, the four soft compounds (soft, super-soft, ultra-soft and hyper-soft) are new.
To give itself more leeway, the Italian manufacturer has jumped a specification in its choice of three compounds for each Grand Prix. For the 2017 Chinese Grand Prix, for example, it opted for the super-soft, soft and the medium - a choice that may be a bit conservative. For this year's race, Pirelli has chosen ultra-soft, soft and medium compounds, to give the teams more strategic freedom.
