SEPTEMBER 17, 2017

Pirelli making softer than ultra-soft tyre for 2018

Pirelli has committed to supplying softer tyres to F1 teams and drivers in 2018.

Pirelli has committed to supplying softer tyres to F1 teams and drivers in 2018.

Although the tyres are bigger this year to accommodate the much faster 2018 cars, there has been widespread criticism of the compounds -- especially the hardest ones.

"The hard tyre is so inappropriate for this generation of racing car that I don't know a single driver who wants it on the car," Force India technical boss Andy Green told Speed Week.

Pirelli F1 chief Mario Isola has now reacted, vowing to retract the hard tyre selection from intended forthcoming races including Sepang, Suzuka and Brazil.

And he has also promised that the 2018 tyres will be generally softer.

"Everything will change to an extent," he confirmed in Singapore.

"What was an ultra-soft will be a super-soft next year, super-soft will be the new soft, and soft the new medium. All of that means that we are of course developing an all new ultra-soft," Isola explained.

"We will have the tyres ready for the teams to drive (test) in Abu Dhabi," he added.

(GMM)