Pirelli confirms Hypersoft tyres for Canada

Pirelli has confirmed its new-for-2018 Hypersoft compound tyre will be made available to Formula 1 teams for the Canadian Grand Prix in June.

Pirelli announced last November it would be introducing two new tyres to its range of dry compounds for 2018 - the Hypersoft and the Superhard - with both being made available to teams through pre-season testing in Barcelona over the past two weeks.

The Hypersoft compound is the new softest tyre in Pirelli's range, specifically designed for low-grip street circuits, and is expected to make its race debut at the Monaco Grand Prix in May.

As Pirelli needs to give teams more notice for flyaway races, the Hypersoft has been confirmed for the Canadian Grand Prix on June 10, with the Ultrasoft and Supersoft tyres also being made available to teams.

Pirelli also announced its tyre choices for the Spanish Grand Prix in May, with the Medium, Soft and Supersoft compounds set to be on offer at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

Most teams have completed their race simulations on the Medium compound tyre in Barcelona through pre-season testing, with Pierre Gasly explaining that it was holding up well on the resurfaced track.

"It will be interesting because honestly with the new tarmac it’s difficult to really have a reference because the tyres are holding in a strange way," Gasly said.

"We saw a lot of teams using the Mediums for the long runs and to be fair the performance was pretty good. The Soft you get more graining and blistering, it’s really quite strange. You can get lost a bit with the balance, and that’s the same with the Supersoft."

F1 2018: Confirmed Tyre Selections

Australia: Soft/Supersoft/Ultrasoft
Bahrain: Medium/Soft/Supersoft
China: Medium/Soft/Ultrasoft
Azerbaijan: Soft/Supersoft/Ultrasoft
Spain: Medium/Soft/Supersoft
Canada: Supersoft/Ultrasoft/Hypersoft