Mercedes takes fewest hypersofts of all F1 teams for Canadian GP
Formula 1 tyre supplier Pirelli has revealed the tyre choices for the upcoming Canadian Grand Prix, with Mercedes selecting fewer hypersoft sets than all other teams
The Canada race will mark the second appearance of F1's all-new hypersoft tyre, the softest available compound in Pirelli's 2018 range.
All 10 teams loaded up with hypersofts for the pink-walled tyre's first race in Monaco - and while it has remained the preferred tyre for the vast majority of the field for Montreal, Mercedes has opted for a conservative selection.
The Silver Arrows struggled to get on top of the tyre in Monaco, with Valtteri Bottas saying: "I think other teams could operate the hyper better than us in the long runs."
Bottas and team-mate Lewis Hamilton will have only five sets of the hypersoft available in Montreal, along with five sets of the ultrasoft compound and three sets of the supersoft, the hardest available tyre.
In contrast, none of the other teams will have fewer than seven sets of the hypersoft available, and Mercedes' main rivals Ferrari and Red Bull have both opted for eight sets.
All teams have selected the same number of hypersofts sets across both cars, while only Williams, Haas and Sauber split strategies between their drivers for the two harder compounds.
The Grove-based team has chosen markedly more supersofts than its competition, with a grid-high five sets of the red-walled tyre available to Lance Stroll.
Canadian Grand Prix tyre choices
| Driver | Supersoft | Ultrasoft | Hypersoft |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lewis Hamilton | 3 | 5 | 5 |
| Valtteri Bottas | 3 | 5 | 5 |
| Sebastian Vettel | 2 | 3 | 8 |
| Kimi Raikkonen | 2 | 3 | 8 |
| Daniel Ricciardo | 2 | 3 | 8 |
| Max Verstappen | 2 | 3 | 8 |
| Sergio Perez | 3 | 2 | 8 |
| Esteban Ocon | 3 | 2 | 8 |
| Lance Stroll | 5 | 1 | 7 |
| Sergey Sirotkin | 4 | 2 | 7 |
| Nico Hulkenberg | 3 | 2 | 8 |
| Carlos Sainz Jr | 3 | 2 | 8 |
| Pierre Gasly | 2 | 3 | 8 |
| Brendon Hartley | 2 | 3 | 8 |
| Romain Grosjean | 2 | 4 | 7 |
| Kevin Magnussen | 3 | 3 | 7 |
| Fernando Alonso | 2 | 4 | 7 |
| Stoffel Vandoorne | 2 | 4 | 7 |
| Marcus Ericsson | 2 | 4 | 7 |
| Charles Leclerc | 3 | 3 | 7 |
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