F1 title rivals Rosberg and Hamilton mirror tyre choices for Brazil
Formula 1 title rivals Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg have picked identical tyre strategies for next weekend's crucial Brazilian Grand Prix
The Mercedes F1 team-mates have each picked eight sets of Pirelli's soft compound tyre, four medium, and one hard.
Rosberg can clinch his first F1 world championship title with victory in the Interlagos race - a grand prix he has won each of the past two seasons.
His Mercedes team-mate Hamilton cannot afford to lose more than five points to Rosberg in Brazil, in order to maintain a mathematical chance of stealing the crown.
He trails Rosberg by 19 points with a maximum 50 still to play for, after winning last Sunday's Mexican GP from Rosberg.
Red Bull has emerged as a potential spoiler in the title battle over recent races, and its drivers have opted for a slight variation to the Mercedes strategy.
Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen have gone for an extra set of medium tyres compared to the Mercedes drivers, at the expense of a set of softs each.
Ferrari team-mates Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen have diverged in their choices, with Vettel matching the Red Bull strategy while Raikkonen has opted for fewer medium tyres and an extra set of hards.
The two teams battling for fourth in the constructors' championship have also diverged, with Williams pair Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas choosing more soft tyres (nine sets) than anyone else.
Rival Force India has opted for one fewer sets of softs per driver than the Williams duo, with Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez each increasing their allocation of hard tyres to two sets each, and matching the Williams drivers' choice of three sets of the medium compound.
Brazilian Grand Prix tyre choices
| Driver | Hard | Medium | Soft |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lewis Hamilton | 1 | 4 | 8 |
| Nico Rosberg | 1 | 4 | 8 |
| Sebastian Vettel | 1 | 5 | 7 |
| Kimi Raikkonen | 2 | 4 | 7 |
| Felipe Massa | 1 | 3 | 9 |
| Valtteri Bottas | 1 | 3 | 9 |
| Daniel Ricciardo | 1 | 5 | 7 |
| Max Verstappen | 1 | 5 | 7 |
| Nico Hulkenberg | 2 | 3 | 8 |
| Sergio Perez | 2 | 3 | 8 |
| Kevin Magnussen | 1 | 4 | 8 |
| Jolyon Palmer | 1 | 4 | 8 |
| Daniil Kvyat | 1 | 4 | 8 |
| Carlos Sainz Jr | 1 | 4 | 8 |
| Marcus Ericsson | 1 | 5 | 7 |
| Felipe Nasr | 1 | 5 | 7 |
| Fernando Alonso | 1 | 4 | 8 |
| Jenson Button | 1 | 4 | 8 |
| Pascal Wehrlein | 1 | 4 | 8 |
| Esteban Ocon | 1 | 4 | 8 |
| Romain Grosjean | 1 | 5 | 7 |
| Esteban Gutierrez | 2 | 4 | 7 |
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