Red Bull more conservative with French Grand Prix F1 tyre choices
Red Bull will have a more conservative allocation of Pirelli's softest-compound tyres than its Formula 1 rivals for the return of the French Grand Prix
Pirelli has made the ultrasoft, supersoft and soft tyres available for the Paul Ricard race, the first GP in France in a decade.
Red Bull has been kinder to soft rubber than Mercedes and Ferrari this season but has chosen the fewest ultrasofts of any team.
Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen have seven sets of ultrasofts each, with three supersofts and three softs completing their allocation.
Mercedes and Ferrari have split their respective drivers in identical fashion.
New championship leader Sebastian Vettel has chosen nine sets of ultrasofts, three supersofts and just one set of softs - the same choices made by Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton.
Their team-mates Kimi Raikkonen and Valtteri Bottas also have nine sets of ultrasofts but two sets each of the supersofts and softs.
Williams has gone the most aggressive of any team with 10 sets of ultrasofts each for Sergey Sirotkin and Lance Stroll, and Stroll sacrificing a set of softs to take an extra batch of supersofts.
Renault's Carlos Sainz Jr, Toro Rosso's Pierre Gasly, Haas driver Kevin Magnussen and Sauber rookie Charles Leclerc also have just one set of soft tyres.
Their team-mates have all opted for an extra set of softs instead of supersofts.
McLaren is the only team to split its drivers' ultrasoft allocation.
Fernando Alonso has eight of the purple-walled Pirellis to Stoffel Vandoorne's nine, but has an extra set of softs as compensation.
French Grand Prix tyre choices
| Driver | Soft | Supersoft | Ultrasoft |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lewis Hamilton | 1 | 3 | 9 |
| Valtteri Bottas | 2 | 2 | 9 |
| Sebastian Vettel | 1 | 3 | 9 |
| Kimi Raikkonen | 2 | 2 | 9 |
| Daniel Ricciardo | 3 | 3 | 7 |
| Max Verstappen | 3 | 3 | 7 |
| Sergio Perez | 3 | 2 | 8 |
| Esteban Ocon | 3 | 2 | 8 |
| Lance Stroll | 1 | 2 | 10 |
| Sergey Sirotkin | 2 | 1 | 10 |
| Nico Hulkenberg | 2 | 2 | 9 |
| Carlos Sainz Jr | 1 | 3 | 9 |
| Pierre Gasly | 1 | 4 | 8 |
| Brendon Hartley | 2 | 3 | 8 |
| Romain Grosjean | 2 | 3 | 8 |
| Kevin Magnussen | 1 | 4 | 8 |
| Fernando Alonso | 3 | 2 | 8 |
| Stoffel Vandoorne | 2 | 2 | 9 |
| Marcus Ericsson | 2 | 2 | 9 |
| Charles Leclerc | 1 | 3 | 9 |
Share Or Save This Story
The driver who can wreck F1's "super exciting" 2020 silly season
Red Bull's Verstappen now has basis for first F1 title challenge
Ferrari: Mick Schumacher a good candidate for seat in Formula 1
Where you can find the best battles of F1 2026
Red Bull outlines timeline for new F1 wind tunnel
How will Verstappen re-adapt to F1 after Nurburgring adventure?
Hamilton "still motivated" and "100% clear" he will stay at Ferrari in 2027
It’s not overtaking, it’s “avoiding action" - why Alonso says F1 lost a full decade of “pure racing”
Williams signs key leaders from McLaren, Mercedes, Alpine
Behind the scenes at Pirelli: The hidden factors that go into developing F1 tyres
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