Skip to main content

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Autosport Plus

Discover premium content
Subscribe

Recommended for you

The story behind Verstappen’s unique Nürburgring Mercedes setup

NLS
The story behind Verstappen’s unique Nürburgring Mercedes setup

How Williams aims to reach "a sensible position" in F1 2026 after double-score Miami

Feature
Formula 1
How Williams aims to reach "a sensible position" in F1 2026 after double-score Miami

Why Verstappen's preparations have left GT rivals in awe

Endurance
Why Verstappen's preparations have left GT rivals in awe

Nurburgring 24 Hours: Verstappen to start debut from fourth, Lamborghini takes 1-2 in qualifying

Feature
NLS
Nurburgring 24 Hours: Verstappen to start debut from fourth, Lamborghini takes 1-2 in qualifying

Former FIA aero chief officially joins Alpine in senior F1 role

Formula 1
Former FIA aero chief officially joins Alpine in senior F1 role

Remembering a lost Italian F1 hero 40 years on

Feature
Formula 1
Remembering a lost Italian F1 hero 40 years on

Pramac Yamaha set to sign Guevara for the 2027 MotoGP season

MotoGP
Catalan GP
Pramac Yamaha set to sign Guevara for the 2027 MotoGP season

Nurburgring 24 Hours: Verstappen qualifies for pole shootout with sixth in TQ2

Feature
NLS
Nurburgring 24 Hours: Verstappen qualifies for pole shootout with sixth in TQ2

Pirelli asked to simplify tyre compound names for 2019 F1 season

The FIA and Formula 1 have both asked Pirelli to simplify the names it uses for its tyre range in 2019 to make it easier for casual fans to understand

The current range of compounds is set to be kept, but names such as ultrasoft and supersoft will be scrapped.

Instead, Pirelli will only present hard, medium and soft tyres at each grand prix weekend, with the actual compounds using those names changing depending on the circuit.

This idea has been around for some time, but it has now become an official request that Pirelli is currently analysing.

"We had a request from FOM and FIA to just call them hard, medium and soft," said Pirelli F1 boss Mario Isola.

"With three colours, the same colours and same names for all the races, but obviously different compounds, because you cannot use the same compounds in Silverstone or Monaco.

"On a second level we will have compound A, B, C, D, E, F or whatever, and we will tell you that for this race, the hard is B, the medium is D, and whatever.

"So for spectators it's probably more understandable, but you also have the possibility to go deeper in detail for technical information that we will continue to provide.

"It's an ongoing discussion, but we said we are available to evaluate this change."

One of the areas under consideration relates to the sidewall colours on the tyre compounds.

Currently, supersofts emerge from the Pirelli factory with red sidewalls, but in the future the colour of that compound will be different depending on whether it is allocated as a hard, medium or soft for a given weekend.

But Isola says that as tyres are made for specific races, that changed would be easy to deal with.

"I made a check with production and logistics, obviously we need to understand all the implications.

"We produce a specific batch for each race, to be sure that they all come from the same batch, so honestly to put a purple label or a yellow label or any other colour is not a big issue."

Isola expects Pirelli to have "five or six" tyre compounds to use across the 2019 season.

Pirelli has also announced that the Hungarian GP will be the third race this season to feature a 'missing' compound in the range of available tyres.

Teams will be able to choose from medium, soft and ultrasoft tyres - skipping the supersofts - as will be the case in Germany and happened earlier this year in China.

Previous article Red Bull believes it could fend off rivals' Q3 engine modes in Monaco
Next article Ferrari F1 customers Haas and Sauber take second engines of 2018

Top Comments