Pirelli expand 2023 tyre F1 range with sixth compound ‘C0’

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In the round-up: Pirelli has revealed it will introduce a sixth tyre compound into its range for the 2023 season.

In brief

Pirelli expand tyre range to six compounds in 2023

Formula 1’s sole tyre supplier currently has a range of five compounds from which it can select the three tyre sets to be used over a grand prix weekend. Pirelli’s chief F1 engineer Simone Berra revealed that they would introduce a new compound near the harder end of the scale into the range for 2023.

“We have a new version of the C1 [hardest tyre],” Berra explained. “So the C1 is no more the current C1 – it’s a new one that should provide more grip compared to the old one, which was, let’s say, less grippy.

“That was tested in Texas, the new C1, and the new C1 is providing more grip. The C1 will become for next year the C0. So next year we will have six compounds: C0 – that is the current C1 – the new C1 and then the others that remain exactly the same compound on the new structure.”

The hardest tyre is likely to be used at Silverstone, Suzuka and Losail International Circuit, said Berra.

McLaren surprised Alpine with qualifying pace – Ocon

Esteban Ocon said he couldn’t have extracted more pace from his Alpine in qualifying but admitted the team did not expect McLaren to be as quick as they were in qualifying.

“I’m very happy, I think it’s been a very good two days,” he told RaceFans and other media after qualifying. “It’s probably the best quali of the year on our side, really making a step in each session, each run, trying a lot of different things and coming out with the best compromise on the car. So I’m really happy on our side. I think the lap, there was nothing left on the table.

“The only little negative, obviously, is Lando getting us at the end. But they [hid their pace] quite well in FP2 yesterday and they turned up everything today. We knew they were quick but it was a surprise they were that fast.”

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Correa penalised for Sato contact

Juan Manuel Correa, returning to Formula 2 this weekend for the first time since his accident at Spa in 2019, was handed a five-second penalty for a collision with Marino Sato. The incident, in the final laps of the Yas Marina sprint race, was caused by Correa misjudging an overtaking opportunity into turn 12 and making avoidable contact with Sato. The penalty drops Correa from 15th to 18th.

No penalty was applied to the heavy start crash that saw Jehan Daruvala make contact with Enzo Fittipaldi and both crash into the barriers on the exit of turn two. Stewards deemed that neither driver was at fault, as a consequence of “a slight bobble” on Daruvala’s car that prevented him being able to avoid contact.

Latifi “not where I wanted to be in last qualifying”

Nicholas Latifi qualified 20th for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the tenth time this year he has set the slowest time in Q1.

Latifi, who will not drive in F1 next season, said he was “pretty happy” with his final lap. “I mean, was it the perfect lap? No,” he admitted. “But it was pretty clean, I think. We just didn’t have the pace.

“We’ve known we’ve had the tenth slowest car all season and yes, it’s for sure not where I want to be in the last qualifying, but I’m satisfied with the lap.”

Williams’ chances of a race recovery to a fourth career points finish in Latifi’s final race were, he said, slim. “Let’s see what we can do tomorrow. Alex seemed competitive in the race runs yesterday. Me, not so much.

“We’ll try and see what we can do. But I mean, we did expect to be a little bit more competitive than that, or we hoped, at least. We tend to lose performance when we go into the race.”

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Comment of the day

With Daniel Ricciardo looking set to take on a reserve driver role at Red Bull, @corsair disagrees with the suggestion Ricciardo has been underwhelming ever since leaving the team back at the end of 2018…

He wasn’t average at Renault at all. In fact he did very well at Renault with the machinery he was given.

It was just unfortunate it didn’t work out for him at McLaren. If anything, staying at Alpine would’ve been a better choice for RIC. But can’t change the past, can only look ahead. Yes, his stock has gone down due to the McLaren stint. Will have to wait and see what happens.
Riker

Happy birthday!

Happy birthday to Mark Young and Drew!

On this day in motorsport

  • Born today in 1957: Stefan Bellof, who impressed in the rain-lashed 1984 Monaco Grand Prix during his debut season for Tyrrell, but died the following year in a sports car crash at Spa

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Will Wood
Will has been a RaceFans contributor since 2012 during which time he has covered F1 test sessions, launch events and interviewed drivers. He mainly...

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10 comments on “Pirelli expand 2023 tyre F1 range with sixth compound ‘C0’”

  1. The new compound & C1 alteration will be interesting.

    Tenth slowest car is a weird wording.

    1. Yeah, it’s the tenth quickest car

  2. Great. More 1 stop ‘races.’
    Tyres are too hard already, and yet still far too ‘grippy.’

    F1 would be far more interesting if the cars visibly moved around a lot, and were clearly more difficult to drive.

    1. I absolutely agree with you. The harder the cars are to drive, the more exciting it is. Although there isn’t really any footage of it, there is a famous picture of Juan Manuel Fangio drifting around Rouen-Les-Essarts, and it would be great if that was the best way to get round some of the corners nowadays. A rare example of this is when the cars use slick tyres on a damp track, and we saw in Singapore that Charles Leclerc could see that his only chance at victory was to really go for it in the opening laps after the restart. And in those few laps we saw Leclerc really sliding around the corners, giving it absolutely everything, the most exciting bit of driving this season, although he ultimately made a few mistakes.

      I would love it if that was always the fastest way to drive, if you can avoid those mistakes, as it would really increase the importance of the driver in Formula 1, and make them look far more skilful. @frood19 made a good point recently that Villeneuve’s defensive drive in Jarama 1981 is looked back on so fondly because it was so difficult to drive error-free back then, but Vitaly Petrov’s similar defence against Alonso in Abu Dhabi 2010 is not considered similarly because it was far easier in 2010, particularly on a track like Abu Dhabi.

      1. @f1frog
        Abu Dhabi 2010 was the reason why the DRS was introduced in the first place. The 2009 rule change that simplified the car’s bodywork didn’t make overtaking easier because teams got creative with regard to how to generate more downforce with the double diffuser and the then the exhaust blown diffuser. Renault in 2010 have developed the best F-Duct system albeit introduced later than Ferrari and RBR.

        Ferrari introduced their first variant of the system in Barcelona but later removed it and introduced an updated version in the Turkish GP. RBR tested it first in the Turkish GP and debuted it in Silverstone. Renault was the last team IIRC to copy the F-Duct that blew into the mainplane and introduced it in Spa. They since become extremely powerful on the straights and very difficult to overtake.

        In Abu Dhabi 2010, Hamilton got also stuck behind Kubica in the race and Alonso behind Petrov. Though Kubica had to stop unlike Petrov. As you have also mentioned the layout of the circuit was also responsible for the lack of overtaking. Tilke got a lot of criticism back then especially from the Italian media.

    2. The tyres are not too hard, though. They can barely last half a Grand Prix.

      All these compounds shenanigans are just a marketing ploy to get people talking about Pirelli in an effort to justify their investment in F1. Spec parts should never be so important. Just have one tyre compound that can race flat out for over two hours, and let the teams and drivers work with that. Michelin has been effortlessly supplying these to the WEC for over a decade. Pirelli can no doubt make them too, if they and F1 wanted to.

      The second reason for the compounds is obviously that pitstops and tyre differences are needed to generate on track action.

      1. The tyres are not too hard, though. They can barely last half a Grand Prix.

        I’d prefer it if they lasted barely 1/3rd.
        2, 3, 4 stop races are fine with me. Would be so much better if refuelling were reintroduced to compliment and influence tyre strategy.

        Michelin has been effortlessly supplying these to the WEC for over a decade. Pirelli can no doubt make them too, if they and F1 wanted to.

        WEC doesn’t allow their competitors or marketers to have so much control over the tyre performance targets.
        It makes no difference to WEC if everyone goes 1 or 2 seconds per lap slower to make a tyre that appears to be ‘better.’ It matters to many people in F1 though – drivers and a certain section of ‘fans’ instantly complain that F1 isn’t fast enough, while simultaneously complaining about the tyres not being durable enough.

        The second reason for the compounds is obviously that pitstops and tyre differences are needed to generate on track action.

        Indeed.
        F1 chooses their priorities. They’ve left it up to the tyres to create racing opportunities, having consistently neglected, or failed to address, the technical regs in the appropriate manner instead.

  3. Sounds like the compounds will be closer to each other. They are close enough to each other already. And we don’t need 6 different compounds. It is again going in the direction of overcomplicating things.

  4. Yep.
    If anyone is unsure, compare a recent F1 onboard hot lap with one from the 1980’s or 1990’s.

    1. Follow up to @f1frog.

      Current F1 cars are so disappointing to watch.
      I feel sorry for the F1 drivers of today. They may drive much faster cars, but those cars lack so much character and require so much less skill.

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