Pirelli brings the three hardest compounds in the Formula 1 range for the first time this year: P Zero Orange hard, P Zero White medium, and P Zero Yellow soft. This is to cope with the notoriously high demands put on the tyres at the Circuit de Catalunya: caused not only by the famous long and fast corners, but also by the abrasive surface and likelihood of warm weather. As a regular testing venue, including two sessions earlier this year, Barcelona is the track that the teams probably know best – but a lot has changed since the last visit, just over two months ago…

THE CIRCUIT FROM A TYRE POINT OF VIEW
- Teams bring latest evolutions, which might alter tyre behaviour compared to testing.
- There was gap of more than 1.5 seconds between medium and soft in testing: this is expected to possibly come down.
- Front-left works hardest: front-limited track.
- More than one pit stop is likely due to traditionally high wear and degradation.
- Teams run high downforce, adding vertical as well as lateral loads to the tyres.
- After the race, Pirelli’s 2018 test programme continues, with Renault and Toro Rosso driving on Tuesday and Wednesday.

MARIO ISOLA - HEAD OF CAR RACING
“This is the last race where allocations are fixed for every team: as of Monaco, drivers are making their own choices about the quantities of each compound they would like to nominate. While Barcelona is a well-known venue, aerodynamic evolution of the cars, enhanced by the latest upgrade packages brought to Spain, mean that performance is increased but degradation levels could also be higher compared to testing. We can additionally expect weather conditions considerably warmer than February.”

WHAT’S NEW?
- Hard tyre appears for the first time in a 2017 grand prix.
- Last round of identical tyre allocations: seven sets of the softest compound available, four sets of the middle compound, and two of the hardest compound.
- Many teams will bring a ‘B’ spec car to Barcelona, ranging from a few tweaks to almost a complete redesign – depending on the team.