Friday deadline for first 2016 F1 tyre choices

Tyre supplier Pirelli wants to mix things up in 2016, so has helped put together new regulations that gives teams certain freedoms to choose what compounds they have at each event.

Out of the 13 sets available to each driver at a grand prix, two sets will be picked by Pirelli for use in the race, while one set will be chosen for qualifying.

The remaining 10 sets are then down to the teams to choose – which will leave them the option of going more aggressive and chooser softer compounds, or being more conservative and going down the harder compound route.

But even though new cars have not run, the FIA's 2016 Sporting Regulations confirm that Pirelli will be given a 14-week window to prepare the tyres for long-haul grands prix.

It means that the deadline for the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, which runs from March 18-20, is this Friday (December 11).

However, because of the new system and the Abu Dhabi test last week, teams will be given an extra week's grace this time around. The Bahrain GP nominations are due on December 24 though.

The FIA's rules state: “Competitors must then inform the FIA, no less than eight weeks before the start of each Event held in Europe and fourteen weeks before the start of each Event held outside Europe, which specifications of dry-weather tyres they wish to use for each of their drivers at the Event.”

With the new cars not due to run until pre-season testing at Barcelona in February, teams are going to have to take more of a gamble about their choices for the first races of the campaign – until they know more about how the 2016 rubber behaves.