Pirelli move to supersoft tyres for Russian round

Pirelli have announced their tyre compound nominations for the next three Grands Prix of the season. Singapore’s and Japan’s remain unchanged from 2014, with only those for Russia - which debuted on the F1 calendar last year - being altered for 2015.

With no significant change in the asphalt at Russia’s Sochi Autodrom, Pirelli’s data tells them that a softer step is possible, hence their nomination of the yellow soft tyre and the red supersoft - a combination that should cope well with the circuit’s wide range of corners and smooth surface.

The same compound pairing will be used by the teams in Singapore. The soft and supersoft are perfectly suited to the street circuit characteristics of the Marina Bay track, providing a rapid warm-up and maximum mechanical grip.

In Japan, by contrast, Pirelli have nominated the two hardest compounds in their range, the orange hard and the white medium. This is to cater for Suzuka’s high-energy demands and fast corners, which ask a lot from the tyres. With the Japanese round held earlier in the season compared to last year, conditions are expected to be slightly warmer.

At a glance - 2015 tyre compounds:

Australia - soft, medium Malaysia - hard, medium China - soft, medium Bahrain - soft, medium Spain - medium, hard Monaco - supersoft, soft Canada - supersoft, soft Austria - supersoft, soft Great Britain – medium, hard Hungary – soft, medium Belgium - soft, medium Italy - soft, medium
Singapore - supersoft, soft
Japan - medium, hard
Russia - supersoft, soft