As per usual, Pirelli, sole tyre supplier to the Formula One Championship, is offering the teams three different tyre compounds for this weekend's USGP at the Circuit of the Americas, soft, supersoft and ultrasoft. However, to support the Susan G.Komenยฎ foundation, which will be a key feature of the United States Grand Prix, the ultrasofts will be coloured pink for this weekend only.
The USGP marks the eighth time these three compounds have been packaged together. Teams most recently used this tyre package in the Singapore Grand Prix last month at the Marina Bay Street Circuit. For last year's United States Grand Prix, the White medium, Yellow soft and Red supersoft compounds were used.
The Yellow soft tyre has been used in every grand prix this season while the Red supersoft tyre has been used everywhere except the Spanish Grand Prix. The Purple ultrasoft has been used in the Australian Grand Prix, the Russian Grand Prix, the Monaco Grand Prix, the Canadian Grand Prix, the Austrian Grand Prix, the Belgian Grand Prix and the Singapore Grand Prix.
โFor America, we're once again taking a softer range of compounds that we have done for previous races there, with the ultrasoft available in Austin for the first time: but in pink as a one-off, to highlight the brilliant work of the Susan G.Komenยฎ foundation,โ said Pirelli's Mario Isola.
โThis should bring lap times down, continuing the trend we have seen over the course of the season. Austin though is one of the hardest tracks to predict, also due to variable weather, and we've seen quite a variety of pit strategies there in the past. These could involve all three compounds this time, with the soft being a good potential option for the race as well.โ
P Zero Yellow softย โ less grip, less wear (used for long-race stints)
This is one of the most frequently used tires in Pirelli's range, as it strikes a balance between performance and durability, with the accent on performance. It is still geared toward speed rather than long distances, but it remains capable of providing teams with a competitive advantage at the beginning of the race where cars are carrying a full fuel load, and at the end of the race where the fuel load is much lighter and the race effectively becomes a sprint. It is a high working-range compound.
P Zero Red supersoftย โ more grip, medium wear (used for shorter-race stints and for initial portion of qualifying)
This is the second softest tire in Pirelli's range, and it is ideal for tight and twisting circuits, especially in cold weather, when maximum grip is needed. The supersofts warm up rapidly, which has made it a stalwart choice for qualifying. But with increased grip comes increased degradation. It is a low working-range compound.
P Zero Purple (Pink for this round) ultrasoftย โ highest amount of grip, highest amount of wear (used for qualifying and select race situations)
This is the softest tire in Pirelli's range, with rapid warming and massive performance. It is best used on tight and twisting circuits that put a premium on mechanical grip. However, because it is so soft, it has a limited lifespan. It is a low working-range compound.
