Pirelli makes safe tyre choice for first F1 Miami Grand Prix

With the first-ever Miami Grand Prix on the horizon, Pirelli faces a challenge. The tire supplier has to choose the most suitable tires for the Formula One weekend, but does not yet have any data to base that on.

For the very first Formula 1 visit to Miami, Pirelli has chosen the three middle tires of the spectrum: C2, C3 and C4. This combination is the most used throughout the year and is also the most versatile, according to the tire manufacturer.

Pirelli boss Mario Isola sees some similarities in the Miami street circuit to the Jeddah Corniche Circuit in Saudi Arabia. The section between turn eleven and sixteen is slower and more technical, according to Isola, but he calls the rest of the layout "very fast". "It runs counter-clockwise, so the emphasis is on the tyres on the right hand side of the car," explains the Italian on the official website of Pirelli.

He expects a relatively slippery track due to the new asphalt, but at the same time, the asphalt should offer "pretty good grip" from the start due to the waterjet treatment it has undergone.

"Because it’s a fast track the cars are likely to run a low to medium downforce set-up," Isola notes. This could lead to the cars sliding a bit in high-speed corners, especially on the hard compound.