F1 News, Reports and Race Results

Pirelli reveals tyre compounds for 2021 F1 season

Pirelli has revealed the full range of compounds that will be used by teams at the 23 rounds of the 2021 F1 world championship.

Last year's COVID-19 disrupted F1 campaign led to a rule change regarding tyre selection, with a fixed allocation of compounds provided by Pirelli for the whole year.

F1's has applied the same approach for this year, with the various types of rubber earmarked for the entire season while each driver will once again receive at each race two hard sets, three medium sets, and eight soft sets at each race.

However, Pirelli and the FIA reserve the right to alter the selection up to 15 days before each race should circumstances require it.

"Announcing all the selections for the year right now will help the teams and the drivers with their planning, also allowing for maximum flexibility just in case the calendar has to change due to Covid-19 restrictions, as we saw last year," explained Pirelli F1 boss Mario Isola.

"The selections themselves are on the whole similar to last year (or 2019, in the case of races not run in 2020), which means that teams should have plenty of data to fall back on - but we have two races where the nominations are softer.

"The first is Azerbaijan, where our C2 hard tyre wasn't used last time, so we are now going with the softest selection of all: C3, C4 and C5.

"Then we have Brazil, where we will take the C2, C3 and C4 this year, as the C1 that was selected as the hardest choice last time didn't show a particularly big advantage in terms of wear over the medium.

"In both cases, the softer nomination could lead to a greater variety of race strategies."

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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.

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