Pirelli expects its more aggressive compound choice for this weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix to result in some “inventive” strategies, having accepted it was too conservative in 2017.
Pirelli nominated the Supersoft, Soft and Medium compound for last year’s event, but the white-banded tyre was not used at all in race trim.
The Supersoft emerged as the preferred tyre, with most drivers comfortably able to complete a 29-lap stint on the rubber through to the chequered flag after the red-flag period.
In response, Pirelli has moved one step softer with its choices for this weekend’s event, replacing the Medium with the Ultrasoft – with teams overwhelmingly preferring the purple-ringed compound.
Allied to Pirelli’s move to softer compounds for 2018, it effectively means that the tyres nominated for Azerbaijan are two steps softer than for last year’s event.
“The Azerbaijan Grand Prix should have quite a different look to it this time, being held two months earlier,” said Head of Car Racing Mario Isola.
“This presumably presents a contrast to last year in terms of weather conditions, when track temperatures peaked at more than 50 degrees centigrade.
“Last year, we felt that we were a little too conservative with the tyre nomination in Azerbaijan, in the first year of the new tyre regulations, as the Medium wasn’t really used.
“So, we felt that this year we had scope to be a little more aggressive with the nominations.
“This should lead to all three compounds being used as realistic race options, and some inventive race strategies, as we saw at the last two Grands Prix in Bahrain and China.”
This weekend’s event marks the second time this year that the Ultrasoft, Supersoft and Soft tyres have been selected as the compounds, following on from Australia.
In that instance, the race was one using a one-stop Ultrasoft/Soft strategy by Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel.
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