Ferrari goes aggressive on China tyre choices

Ferrari has opted for a more aggressive tyre selection than chief Formula 1 rival Mercedes for the Chinese Grand Prix later this month, selecting two additional sets of the Ultrasoft compound for the race in Shanghai.

F1 tyre supplier Pirelli confirmed each driver's selected sets of the Ultrasoft, Soft and Medium compounds on Tuesday, 12 days prior to the grand prix, revealing that Ferrari drivers Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen have opted for a more aggressive selection than their direct rivals.

Both Vettel and Raikkonen will have eight sets of the Ultrasoft tyre to work with over the Chinese Grand Prix weekend, alongside three sets of Softs and two sets of Mediums.

By comparison, the Mercedes duo of Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas will have only six sets of Ultrasofts available. Hamilton opted for six sets of Softs and one set of Mediums; Bottas has five Softs and two Mediums.

Following Ferrari's lead in tyre approach are McLaren, Haas and Williams, all of whom will also be sending their drivers to China with eight sets of Ultrasofts. Force India is the only team to have played it as safe as Mercedes, while Red Bull has seven sets of Ultrasofts for Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo.

The Chinese Grand Prix takes place at the Shanghai International Circuit from April 13-15.

We haven't even landed for the #BahrainGP and we're already unveiling the #ChineseGP #Fit4F1 sets.

— Pirelli Motorsport (@pirellisport) April 3, 2018