ABU DHABI -- Pirelli will introduce two new slick tyre compounds to its F1 range in 2018, bringing the total number of dry-weather compounds to seven.
The super-hard and hyper-soft compounds will be added at either end of the current range of tyres, with two new colours added to Pirelli's sidewall branding across the range. The super-hard will be orange, the hard 'ice blue', the medium white, the soft yellow, the super-soft red, the ultra-soft purple and the hyper-soft pink.
Pirelli hopes new temperature working ranges and softer compounds across the range will result in more varied tyre strategies during races in 2018.
"Compared to this year, when the tyres grew by 25% to fit a brand-new generation of cars, the changes for next year are less far-reaching," Pirelli's head of car racing Mario Isola said. "However, we're pleased to present some important innovations with softer and faster compounds across the range: including the new hypersoft.
"We realised that, under the unique circumstances of this year, some of our 2017 compounds were perhaps conservative: the tyres we have created for 2018 addresses this, in line with the objective of having around two pit stops at most races.
"However, the fundamental design concept of the tyres hasn't changed next year, preserving the attributes that all drivers have appreciated this year and allowing them to push hard from the start to the finish of each stint. The new range consists of faster tyres that should lead to even harder and more spectacular racing in 2018."
The hyper-soft was named after Pirelli launched a poll on social media, giving fans the choice of mega, uber and hyper as a prefix for "soft". The new range of tyres will be tested for the first time at Tuesday's post-season test in Abu Dhabi.
Here's our 2018 #Fit4F1 tyre-spotting guide! https://t.co/GkK0BDxMtm pic.twitter.com/nW8mbMPPq4
- Pirelli Motorsport (@pirellisport) November 23, 2017