Red Bull stands out in French GP tyre picks
Red Bull will have a more conservative allocation of Pirelli’s softest-compound tyres than its Formula 1 rivals for the return of the French Grand Prix.
Pirelli has made the ultrasoft, supersoft and soft tyres available for the Paul Ricard race, the first GP in France in a decade.
Red Bull has been kinder to soft rubber than Mercedes and Ferrari this season but has chosen the fewest ultrasofts of any team.
Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen have seven sets of ultrasofts each, with three supersofts and three softs completing their allocation.
Mercedes and Ferrari have split their respective drivers in identical fashion.
New championship leader Sebastian Vettel has chosen nine sets of ultrasofts, three supersofts and just one set of softs – the same choices made by Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton.
Their teammates Kimi Raikkonen and Valtteri Bottas also have nine sets of ultrasofts but two sets each of the supersofts and softs.
Williams has gone the most aggressive of any team with 10 sets of ultrasofts each for Sergey Sirotkin and Lance Stroll, with Stroll sacrificing a set of softs to take an extra batch of supersofts.
Renault’s Carlos Sainz Jr, Toro Rosso’s Pierre Gasly, Haas driver Kevin Magnussen and Sauber rookie Charles Leclerc also have just one set of soft tyres.
Their teammates have all opted for an extra set of softs instead of supersofts.
McLaren is the only team to split its drivers’ ultrasoft allocation.
Fernando Alonso has eight of the purple-walled Pirellis to Stoffel Vandoorne’s nine, but has an extra set of softs as compensation.
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