Pirelli has unveiled the tire compounds it will bring for the upcoming races in Suzuka, Shanghai, and Miami. The choices remain unchanged from last year, but there are unknowns: China has not hosted a race for five years, and it will be necessary to see how the new cars adapt, while for the US leg, temperatures are a factor to watch.
After the 2024 season’s first two races, which were held in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, Formula 1 is preparing for its Asian leg, which will be followed by the American round in Miami. The series’ long journey will start next week in the Oceania continent, more precisely in Melbourne for the Australian Grand Prix: after a week off, Formula 1 will move to Asia for the Japanese Grand Prix and the China round, before another week off to travel to the United States.
As per the regulations, Pirelli has revealed several weeks in advance which compounds will be available for teams for the upcoming races. The choices for Australia had already been announced last December, opting for the three softest solutions in the entire range, thus using the C5 for the first time this season.
On Thursday, the Italian manufacturer informed the teams about the compounds available for the Grand Prix of Japan, China, and Miami, scheduled from April 7 to May 5.
In Suzuka, one of the most severe tracks for tires in terms of loads, the tradition will be to use the three hardest compounds in the range: C1 as hard, C2 as medium, and C3 as soft. The Land of the Rising Sun’s track is among the most challenging in the world championship, especially for its high-speed sections that stress the tires: the first sector, with its long rapid sequence, tends to overheat the tires, while the two Degner curves and the Spoon represent sections where the high lateral loads are significant.
However, the Japanese circuit is among the most complete in the world championship and, not surprisingly, is among the drivers’ favorites, who have always emphasized how this track truly brings out the potential of a Formula 1 car.
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For the other two events, the “intermediate” trio has been selected, i.e., solutions that are in the middle of the full range offered by Pirelli. Both in Shanghai and Miami, the C2 as hard, the C3 as medium, and the C4 as soft have been chosen, thus aiming for a very flexible solution, even though they are very different tracks.
The sport will return to Shanghai after almost five years, and although the teams have a good amount of data accumulated from previous seasons before the absence from the calendar, there will still be numerous unknowns. In these five years, there are few references on the state of the asphalt, but also on how the new ground-effect cars will adapt to the characteristics of a circuit distinguished by a balanced mix of curves with different speed ranges and one of the longest straights of the entire season, of over a kilometer.
Miami, on the other hand, is a relatively less severe track for tires from the asphalt and layout perspective, so much so that last year teams completed the race with a single stop alternating between medium and hard. Compared to 2023, the tires have not changed, but the temperature is an unknown, which could be quite high, significantly affecting the thermal degradation of the tires.
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