Tyre Allocation
VerifiedThe fixed set of dry compounds Pirelli nominates for each race weekend, and why every car works from the same options.
Before every race weekend, Pirelli nominates which three of its five dry compounds (from hardest C1 to softest C5) will be available, based on how abrasive and demanding that circuit is. Every team gets the same three, relabelled on-track as hard, medium and soft for that weekend only; the actual compound underneath can be completely different from what 'medium' meant at the previous race.
Each driver also gets a fixed number of sets across the weekend, with rules on how many of each compound they must return unused and a minimum requirement to use two different dry compounds during the race (barring wet conditions). That allocation shapes practice: teams have to budget which sets they burn testing long runs versus saving for qualifying and the race.
Because the compound trio changes track to track, a driver's 'soft' at a high-deg circuit can behave nothing like their 'soft' at a smooth one; the label is relative to that weekend's allocation, not a fixed compound.