Pirelli has communicated to the teams the tire allocations that will be used during the triple-header scheduled between late September and early October in Asia under challenging conditions.
Read more India is moving closer to a return to Formula 1 from 2028 thanks to the rise of Arvid Linblad
The Azerbaijan and Singapore Grands Prix will feature the softest tires in the range, while a more conservative choice has been made for Sepang.
In Baku as in Singapore, two street circuits with particular characteristics, Pirelli will offer the three softest compounds of its 2026 range. The C3 will thus be used as the Hard tire, the C4 as Medium, and the C5 as Soft.
A strategic choice for Sepang
The situation will be different for the Bahrain Grand Prix, exceptionally held at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia from October 2 to 4. For this event, the Italian manufacturer has selected an intermediate selection composed of the C2 as Hard, the C3 as Medium, and the C4 as Soft.
The return of Formula 1 to Sepang will pose a particular challenge for the tires. The Malaysian circuit imposes constraints considered average on the scale of all the tracks visited by the championship.
Read more Pirelli continued the development of 2027 tires at Mugello with McLaren, Red Bull, and Audi
Its surface is nevertheless an important factor. The Sepang asphalt is particularly abrasive and has not been fully resurfaced since the last Formula 1 Grand Prix held on the circuit in 2017. Despite these characteristics, Pirelli has deliberately chosen not to bring the hardest tires in its range.
Varying strategies
The goal is to reduce the performance gap between one-stop and two-stop strategies. With slightly softer compounds, degradation should play a more significant role and thus open up more strategic possibilities during the race.
This triple-header will therefore offer two different philosophies: the C3, C4, and C5 will be favored on the street circuits of Baku and Singapore, while Sepang will host the C2, C3, and C4 to encourage a greater variety of strategies during Formula 1’s return to Malaysia.
At the beginning of autumn, however, we should be spared from monsoon rains, at least at the time when on-track action is scheduled. Showers are frequent but often short (1 to 2 hours) and generally occur late in the day.
Read more Haas prepares a four-man casting to replace Esteban Ocon in 2027
The tires chosen in 2026
NB as a reminder, the Bahrain Grand Prix will be held at Sepang, in Malaysia.