Pirelli adds super-hard, hyper-soft tyres to 2018 F1 range

Pirelli has announced it will add two new compounds to its dry-tyre range in Formula 1 for the 2018 season after unveiling the super-hard and hyper-soft selections in Abu Dhabi on Thursday.

Pirelli confirmed earlier this month it would be adding a new softest compound to its range, asking fans to pick a name for a pink-ringed tyre that would be a step below the existing ultra-soft.

The 'hyper-soft' name won the fan vote online, with Pirelli unveiling the tyre alongside the super-hard that will now be at the top of the range.

The super-hard will take over as the orange-coloured tyre, with the hard becoming blue. The full-wet tyre will also remain blue, albeit a different shade.

"Compared to this year, when the tyres grew by 25 per cent to fit a brand-new generation of cars, the changes for next year are less far-reaching," Pirelli racing chief Mario Isola said.

"However, we’re pleased to present some important innovations with softer and faster compounds across the range: including the new hypersoft. We realised that, under the unique circumstances of this year, some of our 2017 compounds were perhaps conservative: the tyres we have created for 2018 addresses this, in line with the objective of having around two pit stops at most races.

"However, the fundamental design concept of the tyres hasn’t changed next year, preserving the attributes that all drivers have appreciated this year and allowing them to push hard from the start to the finish of each stint.

"The new range consists of faster tyres that should lead to even harder and more spectacular racing in 2018."