Pirelli reveals driver tire choices for Australia

[Jag_Warrior]

I'm starting to feel the buzz. The warriors have chosen their ammo! :bounce:

http://www.formula1.com/content/fom-website/en/latest/headlines/2016/3/pirelli-reveal-driver-tyre-choices-for-australia.html

[N. Jones]

What is up with the 50 types of soft tire? I wish F1 would just let the teams run whatever they want without having to use every compound.... or did they already change this?

[AndyL]

The tyre rules are still excessively complicated (1500 words of tyre usage regulations are surely too much), but I like this change. Allowing the teams a little more freedom to select their tyres is one of the less idiotic rule changes of recent years.

It's interesting to see there's quite a wide variation in choices. The two Mercedes drivers have chosen differently so that already adds a little extra flavour to the Australian GP. The old Mercedes policy of forcing them to both stick to the same tyre strategy might be impossible now.

I guess the teams who've gone for 7 supersofts are thinking they will have a battle in qualifying. Mercedes and Ferrari have gone for 6 sets of supersofts, confident they will easily make Q3 no doubt, but then so have Force India and Sauber. Perhaps Sauber assume they will drop out early in qualifying.

Manor are real outliers with 4 sets of medium, no-one else has taken more than 2. They must be planning to do a lot of laps in practice.


Each driver does still have to run at least 2 different types of tyre during the race (if dry).

[pob]

Manor didn't give their selection before the deadline so they just have the default selection of 4/4/5.

The Softs are likely to be the optimum race tyre, although it will depend on the weather. Apparently it's unusally hot in Melbourne at the moment.

[AndyL]

Manor didn't give their selection before the deadline so they just have the default selection of 4/4/5.


Wow, that is some oversight. I know they're short on cash, but surely they could afford someone to fill in a form.