F1 title rivals Hamilton and Rosberg split on Malaysian GP tyres
Formula 1 title rivals Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg have chosen slightly different tyre selections for the upcoming Malaysian Grand Prix
Hamilton has selected three sets of hard tyres, one more than Mercedes team-mate and championship leader Rosberg, who has one extra set of medium tyres.
Both have seven sets of the the super-soft, as do the Ferrari, Williams and Force India drivers.
Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel have also made different choices, with the duo echoing Hamilton and Rosberg's selections respectively.
Toro Rosso's Carlos Sainz Jr and Daniil Kvyat have opted for the most sets of super-softs with eight apiece while the Red Bull and Manor drivers have the fewest sets with just six.
Renault's Jolyon Palmer has gone for the most sets of the hard with four and as a result has just two sets of the medium compound.
Pirelli says one set of the hard or medium must be used at some stage during the 56-lap race at Sepang, which has been resurfaced since F1's last visit in March 2015.
It has nominated one set of the soft tyre to be used in the final part of qualifying.
Malaysian Grand Prix tyre choices
| Driver | Hard | Medium | Soft |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lewis Hamilton | 3 | 3 | 7 |
| Nico Rosberg | 2 | 4 | 7 |
| Sebastian Vettel | 2 | 4 | 7 |
| Kimi Raikkonen | 3 | 3 | 7 |
| Felipe Massa | 3 | 3 | 7 |
| Valtteri Bottas | 2 | 4 | 7 |
| Daniel Ricciardo | 3 | 4 | 6 |
| Max Verstappen | 3 | 4 | 6 |
| Nico Hulkenberg | 3 | 3 | 7 |
| Sergio Perez | 3 | 3 | 7 |
| Kevin Magnussen | 3 | 3 | 7 |
| Jolyon Palmer | 4 | 2 | 7 |
| Daniil Kvyat | 3 | 2 | 8 |
| Carlos Sainz Jr | 3 | 2 | 8 |
| Marcus Ericsson | 2 | 4 | 7 |
| Felipe Nasr | 2 | 4 | 7 |
| Fernando Alonso | 3 | 3 | 7 |
| Jenson Button | 3 | 3 | 7 |
| Pascal Wehrlein | 3 | 4 | 6 |
| Esteban Ocon | 3 | 4 | 6 |
| Romain Grosjean | 2 | 4 | 7 |
| Esteban Gutierrez | 3 | 3 | 7 |
Share Or Save This Story
F1 testing: Max Verstappen feels 'big difference' in 2018 Red Bull
Williams F1's Oliver Rowland to test Super Formula car at Suzuka
Why F1's under-fire rookie is already causing surprises
Does Mexico have a Turn 1 problem?
Rosberg: Antonelli can become "best of next generation", but F1 preparation not ideal
Why Bottas won't emulate Rosberg to beat Hamilton
Red Bull enjoyed a "step forward" at Miami GP but still behind F1's best
What would you like to ask Valtteri Bottas?
Why WEC is in a great place heading into the Le Mans 24 Hours
Verstappen’s biggest rivals in the 2026 Nurburgring 24 Hours
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments