Milan,
19
February
2021
|
09:47
Europe/Amsterdam

2021 Tyre compound choices

Milan, February 19, 2021 - Pirelli has revealed the compounds that it will take to the 23 grands prix that make up the 2021 calendar. Most of the choices are similar to those planned for last year or 2019, although two – Azerbaijan and Brazil – are a step softer and there are also two (Holland and Saudi Arabia) that are brand new circuits for 2021.

Taking into account some of the logistical difficulties caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, which has the potential to disrupt travel and supply chains, the Formula 1 sporting regulations have changed to offer maximum flexibility, with tyre choices no longer having to be made 14 weeks in advance for long-haul events and eight weeks in advance for European events. As was the case last year, there will be a fixed allocation for each driver of two hard sets, three medium sets, and eight soft sets at each race. 

This means that the choices and allocations will be fixed throughout the season, although Pirelli and the FIA reserve the right to alter the selection up to 15 days before each race should circumstances require it. 

Mario Isola, Head of F1 and Car Racing: “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. 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”. 

COMPOUNDS NOMINATED FOR 2021 SEASON
Grand Prix C1 C2 C3 C4 C5
Bahrain (March 28)   HARD MEDIUM SOFT  
Emilia Romagna (April 18)   HARD MEDIUM SOFT  
Portugal (May 2) HARD MEDIUM SOFT    
Spain (May 9) HARD MEDIUM SOFT    
Monaco (May 23)     HARD MEDIUM SOFT
Azerbaijan (June 6)     HARD MEDIUM SOFT
Canada (June 13)     HARD MEDIUM SOFT
France (June 27)   HARD MEDIUM SOFT  
Austria (July 4)   HARD MEDIUM SOFT  
Great Britain (July 18) HARD MEDIUM SOFT    
Hungary (August 1)   HARD MEDIUM SOFT  
Belgium (August 29)   HARD MEDIUM SOFT  
Netherlands (September 5) HARD MEDIUM SOFT    
Italy (September 12)   HARD MEDIUM SOFT  
Russia (September 26)     HARD MEDIUM SOFT
Singapore (October 3)     HARD MEDIUM SOFT
Japan (October 10) HARD MEDIUM SOFT    
United States (October 24)   HARD MEDIUM SOFT  
Mexico (October 31)   HARD MEDIUM SOFT  
Brazil (November 7)   HARD MEDIUM SOFT  
Australia (November 21)   HARD MEDIUM SOFT  
Saudi Arabia (December 5)   HARD MEDIUM SOFT  
Abu Dhabi (December 12)     HARD MEDIUM SOFT