Pirelli nominates softer tyres for Imola, Azerbaijan and Miami unchanged
Tyre manufacturer Pirelli has revealed the compounds available for the next three races in the 2023 Formula One season.
Max Verstappen during the 2022 Azerbaijan Grand Prix. (Pirelli)
The Azerbaijan and Miami Grands Prix will be unchanged from 2022, with Pirelli nominating the same compounds as used last year.
For the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola, softer tyres have been selected due to the low wear experienced during last year’s grand prix.
The Azerbaijan Grand Prix will be the first sprint race weekend of the 2023 season, with teams able to choose between the C3, C4, and C5 compounds - the softest in the Pirelli range. In addition to being the first sprint race of the 2023 season, this will also be the softest tyre available so far this year and the first time the drivers will race on the new 2023 C5 compound.
Pirelli expects a one-stop race on the Baku street circuit, with the high risk of a safety car making strategy more variable.
The race was held at the beginning of June in 2022, with thermal degradation a factor in tyre wear. This year the race will be held 28-30 April, which should be slightly cooler.
In Miami, teams will be able to choose between the C2, C3, and C4 compounds, the same as were available in both the Saudi Arabian and Australian Grands Prix.
Pirelli believes a two-stop strategy will be fastest, although a one-stop strategy is still possible. The weather in Florida may present a challenge, although the weather was clear for most of the inaugural Miami event last year.
In Imola, softer tyres have been chosen this year “due to the low severity of the circuit and the contained wear seen on the tyres last year,” according to Pirelli. The C3, C4, and C5 compounds will be available to teams, the same as in Azerbaijan.
Imola will be home to the first test of the “Alternative Tyre Allocation” qualifying format, where drivers must run the white hard tyre in Q1, the medium yellow tyre in Q2, and the soft red tyre in Q3. This also reduces a team’s total allocation from 13 sets per weekend to just 11 sets of tyres.
Should it rain in Imola, the new Pirelli Cinturato Blue Full Wet tyre will be available for the first time. In theory, the tyre does not require tyre blankets, to aid warm-up in wet and cold conditions.
