Pirelli expects several challenges for F1 teams in Bahrain

Next weekend, the Bahrain Grand Prix is scheduled. Pirelli will immediately make the new compound available to Formula 1 teams. The tyre supplier expects the extra compound to be a good option in the race.

The new C1 tyre will make its debut at the first race of the season, the Bahrain Grand Prix. The number of available compounds has been increased to six this year, with three of them being used per race. The C1 will fill the gap between the hardest tyre C0 (used last year as C1) and the unchanged C2 tyre.

In Bahrain, teams can use the C1, C2 and C3. The abrasive tarmac and huge temperature difference will provide a challenge. Indeed, qualifying and the race will be run in very different conditions from FP1 and FP3. Because the track is in the desert, sand can also blow onto the track. This could affect grip during the sessions. In short, plenty to consider during the first race weekend.

"The first race of the championship will be an important test bench to validate all the development work we have carried out last year, which allowed us to further improve the structure of the tyres and introduce a new compound. Our latest C1 will make its debut at Sakhir: an entirely new compound based on last year’s C2, which allows us to reduce the performance gap between the harder compounds in the range. We expect it to be a valid option for the race this weekend as well. The ‘undercut’ is often pivotal to the Bahrain Grand Prix, so it will be interesting to see how the teams make use of this new element in the trio of compounds that are nominated for Sakhir," Mario Isola said on the official website of Pirelli.