F1 News, Reports and Race Results

Pirelli primer: Which tyres for the Australian GP?

As has been the tradition for many years, Formula 1's new season will kick off in Melbourne on a street circuit.

However, the Albert Park layout doesn't follow the typical Monaco or Singapore stop-and-go progress, but offers drivers a more flowing rhythm.

Pirelli's hard-medium-soft range will be fulfilled respectively by its C2, C3 and C4 compounds, identifiable by their white, yellow and red rim colors.

A one-stop strategy was the winning choice last year, and a similar approach should prevail this year although teams will monitor degradation levels in free practice for confirmation.

"Our C2, C3, and C4 hard, medium and soft nominations this year are roughly equivalent to the 2018 medium, soft and ultrasoft compounds," said our Pirelli man Mario Isola.

"This should allow drivers to push hard from the start to the finish of each stint.

"After a very productive test in Barcelona, we feel satisfied that the 2019 tyre range is on course to meet our objectives of combining performance with durability.

"Of course, there are still a number of aspects – such as degradation over the length of a stint – that will only be revealed after free practice in Australia.

"One other important consideration in Australia will be seeing how the new aero rules work, and if this leads to more overtaking – which is difficult to establish during testing."

Michael Delaney

Recent Posts

Piastri missing ‘the feeling of stress’ outside title fight

Oscar Piastri has discovered an unexpected downside to a season spent away from Formula 1's…

4 hours ago

Bearman opens up on ‘horrible’ triple header with Haas

Oliver Bearman is ready to put some distance between himself and Formula 1 after a…

5 hours ago

Honda baffled by battery mystery as Stroll retires again

Lance Stroll’s 2026 campaign has become a frustrating sequence of mechanical setbacks. The Canadian’s Sao…

6 hours ago

A nod to Formula 1's first female driver

Maria Teresa de Filippis - motorsport's first female F1 Grand Prix driver - was born…

8 hours ago

Ricciardo: Verstappen will go down as ‘one of the best ever’

Daniel Ricciardo has never been short of admiration for Max Verstappen, but the retired Australian…

9 hours ago

'He's very lucky': Coulthard takes aim at Norris' podium antics

David Coulthard admires Lando Norris’s ability to thread a Formula 1 car through treacherous conditions…

10 hours ago