Formula 1 tyre supplier Pirelli has announced the tyre compounds it will take to the opening two rounds of the 2017 season.
The deadline for the tyre nominations of fly-away races is 15 weeks, so the Italian manufacturer has confirmed the compounds for Australia and China.
The Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne will host the 2017 season-opener from the 24-26 March, debuting a number of new regulations – including new aero rules and wider tyres.
The tyres for the 2017 F1 season are 25% wider than the previous regulations and are expected to be a factor in speeds rising and lap times dropping.
The soft, super-soft and ultra-soft tyre compounds will be taken to the Australian GP, one step softer than 2016.
One set of softs and one set of super-softs have to be used during the race and one set of the ultra-soft must be saved for qualifying.
The remaining 10 compounds are free for the teams and drivers to choose for each race, as was the case in 2016.
For the second round of F1 2017 in China, the medium, soft and super-soft tyres will be taken to the Shanghai International Circuit.
One set of mediums and one of softs have to be set aside for the race, with one set of super-softs having to be used in qualifying.
The rest of the compounds (10, with 13 in total) are then free choice for teams and drivers.
