Chinese GP F1 tyre choices - Mercedes more conservative than rivals
Pirelli has unveiled the tyre selections made by Formula 1 teams for the 2018 Chinese Grand Prix, with reigning teams' champion Mercedes favouring a conservative approach
The F1 tyre supplier brought the supersoft as the softest available compound to both the 2016 and the '17 editions of the Shanghai F1 race, but the red-walled tyre will not be used at this month's third round of the season.
Instead, the ultrasoft and the soft - the tyre compounds either side of the supersoft in Pirelli's F1 range - were chosen along with the medium for 2018.
Mercedes has favoured a cautious approach, with both drivers taking only six sets of the softest tyre compound available.
Lewis Hamilton has also picked six sets of the yellow-walled soft tyre - more than any other driver on the grid.
This is in contrast to current championship leader Ferrari, which has chosen eight sets of the ultrasoft for its drivers - who will both have only three sets of the soft and two sets of the medium.
Red Bull has opted for the middle road between its two F1 rivals and, like Ferrari, elected not to split strategies within its roster with both Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo allowed seven sets of the ulrasoft and four sets of the soft.
The only other team besides Mercedes to pick six sets of ultrasofts was Force India, but the outfit has also gone with a field-high three sets of the medium - a choice matched only by Sauber for its F1 rookie Charles Leclerc.
Chinese Grand Prix tyre choices
| Driver | Medium | Soft | Ultrasoft |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lewis Hamilton | 1 | 6 | 6 |
| Valtteri Bottas | 2 | 5 | 6 |
| Sebastian Vettel | 2 | 3 | 8 |
| Kimi Raikkonen | 2 | 3 | 8 |
| Daniel Ricciardo | 2 | 4 | 7 |
| Max Verstappen | 2 | 4 | 7 |
| Sergio Perez | 3 | 4 | 6 |
| Esteban Ocon | 3 | 4 | 6 |
| Lance Stroll | 2 | 3 | 8 |
| Sergey Sirotkin | 1 | 4 | 8 |
| Nico Hulkenberg | 2 | 4 | 7 |
| Carlos Sainz Jr | 2 | 4 | 7 |
| Pierre Gasly | 2 | 4 | 7 |
| Brendon Hartley | 1 | 5 | 7 |
| Romain Grosjean | 1 | 4 | 8 |
| Kevin Magnussen | 2 | 3 | 8 |
| Fernando Alonso | 1 | 4 | 8 |
| Stoffel Vandoorne | 1 | 4 | 8 |
| Marcus Ericsson | 2 | 4 | 7 |
| Charles Leclerc | 3 | 3 | 7 |
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