The fire triptych after the European season
Formula 1 is about to return to the track with the last double-header of European races that will close the central phase of the championship, but Pirelli is already looking ahead to the next three GPs, which will take place on three consecutive Sundays from September 27 to October 11. The weekend will open with the Singapore GP, which, as usual, takes place at night with the big novelty of the Sprint format (the last of this season), followed closely by the great and surprising return of the Sepang track in Malaysia, which will host the 2026 edition of the Bahrain GP, with the Azerbaijan GP in Baku closing the all-Asian triptych.
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Pirelli’s choices for the Singapore, Malaysia and Azerbaijan GPs
A challenge not only for the drivers and teams but also for the sole tire supplier, who is preparing for the triple GP by announcing the choices of compounds planned for the three weekends. At Marina Bay, given the scorching temperatures and the street asphalt – the track is in fact partly made on city streets winding between skyscrapers, bay bridges, and tourist attractions – the three softest compounds of the range return, with the C3 Hard, the C4 Medium, and the C5 Soft. A choice, that of the three softest compounds, which, without major surprises, is also replicated in Baku, the other city track which, due to the type of asphalt and track characteristics – long straights and many slow right-angle corners – will again see the C3, C4, and C5 engaged.
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Different, and in some ways unprecedented, since Sepang has not hosted a race for almost ten years (the last edition dates back to 2017), is the tire selection for this season’s new version of the Bahrain GP. The tire supplier has in fact selected the three middle compounds: the Hard will therefore be the C2, with the C3 Medium and the C4 Soft. A choice still aggressive considering the long curves of the track located at the gates of Kuala Lumpur, the temperatures that could be scorching (and watch out for the always particularly unpredictable weather in that area), and the particularly abrasive asphalt, with Pirelli forced to go somewhat blind not having recent data from either this or the previous generation of ground effect cars.
