Pirelli signage. Formula One World Championship, Rd7, Canadian Grand Prix, Preparations, Montreal, Canada, Thursday, 5 June 2014. © Sutton Images
For the returning Austrian round, Pirelli will bring the two softest compounds in their P Zero range: the yellow-marked soft and the red-marked supersoft. For the British Grand Prix, the orange-marked hard and white-marked medium will be used. In Germany, the nomination is soft and supersoft, while in Hungary it is medium and soft.
The Spielberg circuit in Austria, which is new to the Formula One calendar in its current incarnation, contains several tight and twisty sections requiring the two tyres that produce the maximum mechanical grip, even at relatively low speeds. Tarmac roughness in Austria is also very low.
Silverstone is a complete contrast: one of the fastest circuits of the season with high energy loads going through the tyres. Because of this, the two hardest tyres in the range are best-suited to the British track.
This year, the German Grand Prix is held at Hockenheim, which combines some fast straights with a slower and more technical stadium section that forms a significant part of the lap. To provide maximum performance, the soft and supersoft compounds will be in action once more, on a track that has generally low energy demands on the tyre.
The Hungaroring is another relatively slow-speed track, but the race is often run in hot conditions, increasing the work on the tyres. To provide a wide working range and increase opportunities for strategy, the medium and the soft tyres will be brought to Hungary.
At a glance - tyre compounds for 2014:
Australia - medium, soft
Malaysia - hard, medium
Bahrain - medium, soft
China - medium, soft
Spain - medium, hard
Monaco - supersoft, soft
Canada - supersoft, soft
Austria - supersoft, soft
Great Britain - medium, hard
Germany - supersoft, soft
Hungary - medium, soft