Pirelli clarifies use of 2016 tires

2016 will see the introduction of new features concerning tires and their use in F1, as clarified by the World Motor Sport Council, meeting yesterday in Paris. The main one comes from the arrival a new ultra-soft tire which has been given a purple sidewall.

Pirelli will, in consultation with the FIA, constitute a selection of three compounds for each race on the calendar. Thirteen sets of tires will be made available to each driver for the entire weekend. Of this number, the Italian manufacturer will nominate two for the race (one of which will be used in the race), and another, of the softest compound available, which can only be used in Q3.

The two sets nominated by Pirelli could be of different compounds (for example soft/medium), taken from the three types of rubber selected ahead of the weekend by the manufacturer. The other ten sets of tires will be chosen at the discretion of the drivers.

The latter will have a deadline to make their selection for each car which will remain secret until two weeks before the Grand Prix. If a team misses the deadline, the choice will then be made by the FIA.

Certain sets of tires will still have to be returned to Pirelli, one set after 40 minutes in FP1, one set at the end of FP1, two at the end of FP2 as well as at the end of FP3. The two trains selected by Pirelli cannot be returned during free practice and must be available for the race. The tires selected for Q3 by the top 10 of the session must also be returned to Pirelli, while the other drivers will be able to use the tires saved during the race.