How Pirelli's new F1 tyre compounds will look in pre-season testing
Pirelli has outlined how it will identify its five new Formula 1 tyre compounds in pre-season testing, following the removal of the previous 'rainbow' range
The Italian company will provide five compounds this season, compared to seven in 2018.
Pirelli will use three nominated colours to identify tyres at races in 2019: the white will be the hard, the yellow will be the medium and the red will be the soft.
It has confirmed that those three colours will be used in testing, but as there are more compounds than colours they will be marked differently so people can tell them apart.
There will be five compounds available to Pirelli this year, Compound 1 through to Compound 5.
In testing, Pirelli will use the following forms of identification:
Compound 1 (the hardest) will be marked with white Pirelli branding, but without the lines around the outside wall of the tyre
Compound 2 will be marked with full white branding
Compound 3 will be marked with full yellow branding
Compound 4 will be marked with full red branding
Compound 5 (the softest) will be marked with red Pirelli branding, but without the lines around the outside wall of the tyre
Pirelli considered continuing to use the multi-coloured way it branded each compound last year for testing.
However, it decided to adapt the system it wants to use throughout 2019 to avoid creating extra confusion.
Compared to last year, Compound 1 is the hardest and is the hard compound from 2018, while Compound 5 is the softest and the same as last year's hypersoft.
Teams and media will know in advance which of the five compounds are in use at each grand prix, but the new system is designed to make it easier for fans to identify and follow.
Be part of the Autosport community
Join the conversationShare 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
MotoGP schedule: When is the next MotoGP race and where will it be held?
Honda MotoGP boss "confused" by "good improvements" not working
Friday favourite: Why Herbert prefers a car he had to wrestle above his F1 winners
New Time Attack competition for 1990s F1 cars launched by AGS successor
The short-term pain that hides a very real Williams improvement
How a Shanghai to Sheffield journey paved the way for China’s F1 hero
Why F1 2026 worst case fears could be key to new rules success
How the F1 driver market situation sits for each team with 2025 openings
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