Pirelli has justified its decision to introduce a 'super hard' compound into its range of 2018 tyres as insurance against next year's car development.
The Italian manufacturer, which has been Formula 1's exclusive supplier since 2011, introduced the superhard and hypersoft tyres at each end of its compound spectrum.
But F1 teams doubt the former will ever been seen in 2018.
"Quite simply, it's our insurance," Pirelli boss Mario Isola told Speed Week.
"Basically, we assume we will never use the super hard tyre. But it's still difficult for us to assess how quickly these new cars will be developed, and whether some corners could become critical."
"The hard tyre is enough on the circuits that put the tyres through a lot, but according to the regulations we may add another compound during the season. It's better to be safe than sorry," Isola added.
Gallery: The beautiful wives and girlfriends of F1 drivers
Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter
Helmut Marko believes that Red Bull and Max Verstappen are unlikely to challenge for victory…
Automotive giant General Motors is reportedly back in the game as a potential entrant in…
The opening day of running at the Las Vegas GP was a smooth but chilly…
Williams is continuing to fight uphill battles this weekend in Las Vegas as a knock-on…
It was a solid start to the Las Vegas weekend for Ferrari with Carlos Sainz…
Lando Norris didn’t hold back in his assessment of McLaren’s performance on the opening day…