Does this bold choice by Pirelli provide more strategic variety?

Pirelli seems to be bringing a special qualifying tire for the Australian Grand Prix. Indeed, there is one compound among the selected tires that was not taken to Melbourne.

For the first time since 2019, there will be racing on the Albert Park street circuit again. In Melbourne, Formula 1 drivers will encounter some changes, which should make the track faster and also provide more overtaking opportunities. In that respect, Pirelli is taking a bold decision with the tires.

Whereas the Italian tire supplier is often very conservative in its choice, it has now included the softest tire in its range. The C5 tire serves as the softest and therefore red tire in Australia, on which the driver will therefore also qualify. The medium tire will probably not be used on Saturday afternoon, as the difference with the soft tire is greater than usual this time.

Where Pirelli normally chooses three consecutive compounds, it has now skipped the C4 tire, and is taking the C3 and C2 tires as medium and hard tires respectively. This ensures that the medium tire is a lot slower than the soft tire, but lasts much longer. This, of course, provides a lot of strategic options on the track where it was very difficult to overtake in the past.