Japan Tyre Selection

The tyres have been chosen for this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix as we arrive for Round 17 and our second race of the double header!

The tyres chosen for Suzuka are: C1 (Hard), C2 (Medium) and C3 (Soft).

The Japanese Grand Prix could spring a few surprises due to the high temperatures recorded last week, with highs of up to 33 degrees centigrade.
If this continues, tyre degradation could become an important factor.

Weather conditions have heavily influenced the Grand Prix. On four occasions (2004, 2009, 2010 and 2019) qualifying has been held on Sunday morning due to torrential rain or the threat of a typhoon.

In 2022, it was the race which was interrupted due to torrential rain on the first lap. The restart occurred three hours later, with only 45 minutes to go due to the maximum allowed race duration.
In total, 28 laps were completed, with the drivers only using the intermediate and full wet tyres.

The asphalt at Suzuka features some of the highest levels of roughness and abrasion seen all season. Wear and degradation are important factors in determining the run plan for free practice as well as race strategy.

The Japanese Grand Prix takes place on one of the most fascinating and demanding tracks in Formula 1 history: Suzuka, with its unique figure of eight layout. This historic venue is a drivers’ favourite, being absolutely thrilling to drive in today’s ultra-competitive single-seaters. With its very significant lateral and vertical loads, Suzuka is as demanding on tyres as it is on drivers. These demands are equally distributed across all four wheels, with 10 right-handers and eight left-handers throughout the six-kilometre lap. As a result of these challenging characteristics, we bring some of the hardest tyres in the 2023 range to Japan: C1, C2, and C3. This is only nominally the same as last year’s selection on account of the new C1 compound, which was introduced this season to slot in between the C2 and former C1 (now called C0). On Friday, all the teams will get the chance to test a new version of the C2 compound, with a view to homologating it for next season. This latest evolution should provide more grip than the current C2, and so fit in more coherently between the C1 and C3. For the first two free practice sessions, each driver will have two additional sets of tyres, compared to the usual 13 sets per weekend. This test is part of a development programme that was recently defined for 2024 and will continue with a new C4 compound to be tested on track during the Mexican Grand Prix weekend.

Mario Isola, Pirelli Head of Motorsport.