Pirelli swaps Soft tires for Mediums for Bahrain

Even before the Formula 1 season began, primarily for logistical reasons, Pirelli had announced its tire choices for the first four Grand Prix of the season, a decision made as early as December. However, while Soft and Hard tires were initially expected for the Bahrain Grand Prix, which will take place this weekend at the Sakhir circuit, the Milanese manufacturer decided to revise its plans by swapping the Soft tires for Medium tires.

Following the Malaysian Grand Prix, Pirelli decided to ship a cargo of Medium tires, likely as a precaution. Since then, the association of Soft tires with Medium tires during the Chinese Grand Prix will have undoubtedly finished convincing the Italian manufacturer to change its strategy: Bahrain is one of the most demanding circuits of the season for tires, mainly due to the high temperatures in the air and on the track. However, in Shanghai last weekend, the Soft tires lasted a maximum of seven laps at temperatures that, although unusually high for a Chinese Grand Prix, were still far from those expected in Bahrain.

By opting for Medium tires, Pirelli hopes that drivers will be able to do between 13 and 15 laps with the softest compound: « We expect three stops per car, although we need to wait to see Friday’s running to analyze the data and make more accurate forecasts. One of the main challenges in Bahrain is related to track evolution, which is difficult to predict and depends on the amount of sand blown onto the circuit. Based on our observations from last year, there will be a great margin for different race strategies, which could allow drivers who did not qualify well to move up during the Grand Prix. »

This demonstrates that Pirelli has heard the criticisms made in recent weeks regarding its tires and tends to lend credibility to Niki Lauda’s claims, who stated on RTL that the Italian manufacturer has a plan for the Spanish Grand Prix, likely involving the introduction of a new, harder compound. However, this information remains to be confirmed, even though Paul Hembery has indicated readiness to make a decision after the Bahrain Grand Prix.