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F1 tyres

How Formula 1 Teams Choose Tyres for Practice

Pirelli sets the event’s three dry-weather options; F1 teams decide how to use their allocated sets to learn about grip, warm-up and longer-run behaviour.

By CarCody Team 3 min read

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Formula 1 teams do not choose which dry-weather compounds are available at a Grand Prix. Pirelli supplies three event specifications within the FIA’s regulations; each team decides how to use the tyre sets allocated to its drivers. In practice, that means balancing useful comparisons of grip and tyre behaviour against the need to keep sets for qualifying, a Sprint and the race.

Who chooses the compounds, and who chooses how to use them?

Pirelli selects three dry-weather specifications for each event under the FIA’s regulatory framework, and the FIA communicates the available options. For 2026, the selections are drawn from Pirelli’s C1-to-C5 range. The event’s “hard,” “medium” and “soft” labels describe the three selected options relative to one another; they are not three compounds independently picked by each team. Formula1.com reported Pirelli’s 2026 selections.

Teams make the separate decision of how to deploy their allocated sets. Under the 2026 FIA Sporting Regulations, Section B, Issue 06, dated 28 April 2026, the FIA Technical Delegate allocates tyre sets to each driver from the event stock. A complete set is two front and two rear tyres of the same specification, and drivers are restricted to their allocated tyres and the applicable session rules.

What teams try to learn in practice

A practice run helps a team understand how the car and a tyre option work together on that circuit and in that weekend’s conditions. The team can assess a short run aimed at single-lap pace, longer running, or comparisons between compounds. These are examples of questions practice can answer, not a fixed sequence followed by every team; public event previews do not disclose complete team run plans.

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  • Warm-up and one-lap grip: how readily a tyre reaches a useful operating range matters for a short, qualifying-style run, particularly if conditions are cool.
  • Longer-run behaviour: teams observe pace and tyre symptoms over multiple laps. Before practice data exists, degradation or tyre life should not be treated as settled for that weekend.
  • Circuit demands: corner speed, braking, traction, surface grip and abrasiveness affect what teams want to investigate.
  • Track evolution and weather: rubber laid down during the event, temperature changes and rain can change the conditions from one session to the next.

The 2026 Chinese Grand Prix preview illustrates the circuit-specific questions: Pirelli discussed Shanghai’s fast S-section and slower corners, as well as previous front-tyre graining. Those details give teams reasons to monitor tyre behaviour and balance, but do not establish a universal strategy.

Why the practice plan depends on the weekend format

The format changes both how much time teams have to learn and how many sets are allocated. The following allocations are per driver under the 2026 FIA Sporting Regulations, Issue 06 (28 April 2026); specific regulatory provisions or event exceptions may affect them.

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Weekend format Practice before competitive running Tyre sets per driver
Standard Three free-practice sessions: FP1 and FP2 on the first day of track running, then FP3 on the second day 2 hard, 3 medium and 8 soft sets
Alternative format One FP1 session before Sprint Qualifying 2 hard, 4 medium and 6 soft sets

With fewer practice sessions, a team has less time to evaluate the car and tyres before competitive running. At the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix, a Sprint weekend, teams had one practice session before Sprint Qualifying. The allocation also makes practice an exercise in prioritisation: an additional comparison may be useful, but the same driver’s sets must cover later sessions too.

How conditions can change which tyre is useful

There is no general rule that the soft is always fastest or the hard always best for the race. The labels are relative to the event’s chosen trio, while the useful option depends on the task and conditions. A compound that warms quickly can help on a short run; longer running raises different questions about pace and tyre behaviour.

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Montreal provides an event-specific example. In its 2026 Canadian Grand Prix preview, Pirelli described the surface as smooth and low in abrasiveness, noted that it evolves quickly, and flagged cooler temperatures and possible rain. Pirelli assessed the soft as the best-warming of the three selected compounds for a single lap, while suggesting teams could consider a more conservative race approach using the harder pair. That is Montreal-specific guidance, not a rule for other circuits.

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Why there is no universal team formula

The shared framework is the available compound menu, each driver’s allocation, the session format and the conditions at the circuit. The exact run plan is team-specific: public previews explain relevant track and weather considerations, but do not reveal each team’s internal decision model or complete practice schedule. A practice choice is therefore best understood as a constrained learning decision—what the team needs to find out now, and whether that knowledge is worth using a set it may need later.

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