In a nutshell: which tyres for the Bahrain GP?

Pirelli's primer for the Bahrain Grand Prix tell you all you need to know about which rubber will hit the road next weekend at Sakhir.

Bahrain uses the same three compounds selected for China: the first back to back races of the season.

Sakhir is a circuit that above all tests traction, and it’s also the first night race of the year, starting and finishing in the evening under the floodlights.

As a result, the pattern of tyre behaviour and track evolution isn’t exactly the same as it would be during a conventional afternoon race.

Last year, the winning strategy was a three-stopper, with the same three compounds nominated as this year.

Head of car racing for Pirelli, Mario Isola:

"The biggest gains at Sakhir are all to be found in traction: it is quite a stop-start circuit, so getting the power down properly and keeping the rear tyres in good condition is very important.

"Last year we found quite a high degree of wear and degradation, so it will be interesting to see how this has changed with the introduction of our 2017-specification tyres.

"The second free practice session will be particularly important, as it is the only one held in representative conditions of qualifying and the race."