Pirelli has revealed the tyre choices all 10 teams for the forthcoming Hungarian Grand Prix, with the supersoft tyre heavily favoured by all.
Of the five compounds Pirelli produces for F1, the Italian supplier elected that the red-striped supersoft tyre, the yellow-striped soft tyre and the white-striped medium compounds to be used around what are likely to be the even faster twists and turns of the Hungaroring.
Given the increased longevity of this year’s rubber, it’s not surprising that each driver will only have one set of the medium compound, the slowest of the three available choices, but Mercedes and Ferrari have each chosen to play it slightly safer, choosing three sets of the soft compound tyre along with nine sets of the supersoft compound, the second fastest in the Pirelli range.
Red Bull have gone down separate routes with their two drivers, Daniel Ricciardo, winner in Budapest three years ago, has followed Mercedes and Ferrari with three sets of soft tyres and nine supersofts, whereas Max Verstappen will take 10 sets of the supersoft compound to the Hungaroring.
With the top teams more than likely aiming for a one-stop race strategy, the extra set of Supersofts for Verstappen might set him up for a more aggressive two-stop strategy, in order get his slightly derailed season back on track.
Further down the grid, Williams, Force India, McLaren and Renault all match Verstappen with a more aggressive strategy, perhaps going with the idea that a two-stop race might be ultimately faster, whilst Toro Rosso and Sauber opt to take the extra set of soft tyres. The standout tyre choice comes from Haas, who have decided that four sets of Soft tyres is the way to go, and will therefore only take eight sets of Supersofts with them.
Last year’s race saw lower levels of tyre wear than was expected, despite one of the highest track temperatures of the year on a newly resurfaced tarmac. As a result of the resurfacing, the Hungaroring is much less abrasive and therefore harsh on tyres than we’ve seen in previous years, that, coupled with the increased durability of the 2017 Pirelli tyres makes a one-stop strategy seemingly be the most simple option, but would it necessarily be the fastest? It all remains to be seen.
Full choices can be seen below:
