Pirelli announces tyre choices for Zandvoort and Monza
Formula One’s sole tyre manufacturer Pirelli has announced what tyre compounds drivers and teams will have at their disposal in the last two European rounds of the 2023 F1 season.
Although Pirelli provides three compounds – the softs, mediums, and hards – to every Grand Prix, there are six tyre compounds available for 2023 that differ between races.
The hardest of these six compounds is the C0, with the second-hardest being the C1, and so on, until reaching the C5, the softest tyre in the current F1 arsenal. In reality the 2023 C1 is a brand new compound that made a successful debut in Bahrain while this year's hardest available compound, the C0 is effectively last year’s C1 compound.
The F1 field is set to assemble at Zandvoort next weekend with the Dutch Grand Prix taking place on 25-27 August. Pirelli has chosen the C1, C2, and C3 compounds for Zandvoort, as was the case last year.
The famous Dutch circuit is one of the most demanding circuits of the year for tyres, especially with the two banked corners (Turn 3 and Turn 14). But the nomination is not identical to 2022: as mentioned, this year’s C1 is a new and softer compound that sits between the C2 and the previous C1.
Revealing compound choices for the #DutchGP and #ItalianGP! 🛞 #Fit4F1 #F1 pic.twitter.com/QOiuYi8tze
— Pirelli Motorsport (@pirellisport) July 31, 2023
Just a week after the Dutch Grand Prix, teams make a long trip to Northern Italy for the Italian Grand Prix. Despite the high speeds achieved at Monza, the three softest compounds have been selected for the ‘Temple of Speed’: C3, C4, and C5. This is one step softer than last year’s nomination which sported the trio of the C2, C3, and C4 compouncds.
Drivers will face another sporting challenge at Monza as the Italian Grand Prix will be the second time that Pirelli implements the alternative tyre allocation. The new approach that made its debut at the Hungarian Grand Prix before the summer break means that drivers will only get 11 sets instead of the usual 13 sets.
This means just three sets of Hard tyre, four sets of Medium, and four sets of the Soft tyre. Furthermore, they are forced to run the hard in the first qualifying segment, followed by the use of the medium compound in Q2 and the soft compound in Q3.
