Formula 1 will face this weekend the third grand prix of the 23 scheduled for the 2023 season: the Australian Grand Prix. For the race to be held on the Melbourne street circuit, Pirelli has decided to bring the following compounds:
Pirelli PZero White Hard C2
Pirelli PZero Yellow Medium C3
Pirelli PZero Red Soft C4
This is the intermediate choice with regard to the 2023 range made by the Italian manufacturer, sole supplier of Formula 1 tyres. In fact, the list of compounds for this season ranges from C0 (the hardest compound) to C5, the softest one.
The tires on the track
The FIA has confirmed that there will be four DRS zones this year. It could therefore be the edition of the Melbourne race with the highest top speed, given that theoretically it could reach 340 km/h. The streets of the Albert Park street circuit were resurfaced in 2022, inserting metal inclusions in the agglomeration that improved the grip of the tyres. The asphalt is in fact smoother than the other circuits in the world championship and greater grip can only be achieved after numerous track sessions. The Australian Grand Prix recorded average tire forces and low levels of abrasion. The new layout inaugurated last year favors overtaking especially in the second sector. With a set-up of the car that focuses on traction, exiting corners can be helped in order to have a better chance of overtaking on the short straights of the track. Since moving from Adelaide to Melbourne in 1996, the Australian Grand Prix has traditionally been the opening round of the Championship and has been until 2019 with the only exceptions being 2006 and 2010 when the first Australian Grand Prix yr was held in Bahrain. The 2020 and 2021 editions were canceled due to the pandemic, since last year Melbourne has returned to the calendar as the third round of the season after the first two which take place in the Middle East. For Oscar Piastri, this will be to all intents and purposes his home race. The young McLaren driver was in fact born in Melbourne, just a short distance from Albert Park. Other Australian drivers who arrived before him in Formula 1 are, among others, Jack Brabham, Alan Jones, Tim Schenken, Mark Webber and Daniel Ricciardo.
Pirelli tires on one of the Alfa Romeo C43s
Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images
Australian GP: Mario Isola’s comment
Mario Isola, Pirelli motorsport director: “For the Australian Grand Prix we chose the same trio of compounds as in 2019. After a couple of years of absence from the Formula 1 calendar due to the pandemic, last year we opted for a jump in compound, bringing the softer C5 together with the C2 and C3. The 2022 race, won by Charles Leclerc, was only one stop away and the teams have all chosen to mount Hard and Medium, relegating the Soft to qualifying only” .
“In the coming weekend, however, the teams will have C2, C3 and C4 available, thus allowing them to have, at least on paper, more options available in terms of strategy. We expect a high evolution of the track over the course of the weekend, as traditionally happened in Melbourne, while the forces that will affect the tires are average. The track is very smooth and even the corners are now faster after the changes introduced last year, thus favoring overtaking and the show”.
Minimum pressures at the start
Front: 23.0psi
Rear: 21.0psi
Maximum camber
Front: -3.25°
Rear: -1.75°
