Australian GP: Latest Tyre Talk

Teams will have the same tyre selection available as they had last year in Australia, however, each compound has changed significantly.

The soft, super-soft and ultrasoft will all be available to use throughout this weekend.

But the rubber is different this year as Mario Isola explains: “Barcelona testing already provided an indication of the step forward in performance taken by the 2018 cars and compounds, and we should see this carried through to the very different conditions in Australia.

“Exactly what those conditions could be is yet to be seen: the weather at this time of year in Melbourne can vary from cold and wet to very warm.

“From what we can see so far, this year’s softer compounds should open up the possibility for either one or two pits stops this year, as opposed to one for the majority of drivers last year.

“As usual at the first Grand Prix of the season, there are still a number of questions to be answered, but we hope to see an exciting race with tyre strategy playing a key role.”