Pirelli hypersoft rubber to hit the road in Canada

Pirelli has included its hypersoft tyre among the three compounds it has selected for the Canadian Grand Prix in June.

It's uncertain however if the new tyre will get its baptism of fire in Montreal as Pirelli has yet to reveal its selection for Monaco which could include the pink-rimmed compound.

Pirelli will also include the supersoft and ultrasoft tyres among its Canadian selection while it has named the supersoft, soft and medium rubber for Spain.

Logistical reasons linked to freight compelled F1's exclusive tyre supplier to reveal its tyre choices for the fly-away race well in advance.

Pirelli releases tyre testing schedule for 2018

It was initially due to inform the FIA of its Canadian selection by late February, but it was granted a two-week delay in order to take advantage of pre-season testing in Barcelona and the additional tyre data which has been collected.

"We have a deadline that is March 8th to select the compounds for Barcelona and Canada," explained Pirelli F1 boss Mario Isola.

"Canada was February 22nd, but we spoke to the FIA and the teams to postpone the deadline to March 8th together with Barcelona, in order to collect more data from this test, because with our logistics, it's possible to produce and ship the tyre in time."

The extra margin in time allowed teams to put the hypersoft to the test at the Circuit de Catalunya this week, and better understand its exploitation and degradation.

"The hypersoft hung on a lot better than we expected," said Renault tech boss Nick Chester.

"We thought it might be a single lap tyre but Nico [Hulkenberg] had three good push laps on it with cool laps in-between and was quickest on his last one.

"For Carlos [Sainz] it wasn't quite the same: his best was a second push lap. Generally it was hanging on okay. It was a bit grained by the last lap but for a high energy track like here it was hanging on quite well."

As a reminder, each driver must save one set of the softest of the three nominated compounds for Q3.

This set will then be returned for those who qualify in the top 10, but the remaining drivers will keep it for the race.

Each driver must have both these sets available for the race. Teams are free to choose the remaining 10 sets,making 13 sets in total for the weekend.

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.