Championship rivals Mercedes and Ferrari have taken differing approaches regarding tyre selection for next weekend’s British Grand Prix.
Pirelli has moved a step softer than in recent years, amid complaints over the 2017-spec Hard tyre in Spain, and has nominated the Supersoft, Soft and Medium compounds for Silverstone.
Both Mercedes drivers have selected six sets of Supersofts from their allocation of 13, with six Softs for Lewis Hamilton and five for Valtteri Bottas.
Ferrari, meanwhile, has loaded up on Supersofts, opting to bring nine sets of the red-banded rubber, and only three batches of the yellow-ringed Softs.
Mercedes’ choice is the most conservative on the grid, with McLaren and Toro Rosso’s Daniil Kvyat the most aggressive, opting for 10 sets of Supersofts.
The Medium compound has been all-but-rejected, with only four drivers bringing more than one set of the white-banded tyres.
As per usual, one set of the Supersoft tyres must be reserved for use only in Q3, while either the Softs or Mediums must be used for one stint of the 52-lap Grand Prix, should the race take place in dry conditions.
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