Pirelli will select tires for Sepang based on data from 2017.

      This year, the Sepang circuit in Malaysia will host a Formula 1 race for the first time since 2017. With two months to go before the race, Pirelli already needs to select the compounds and begin tire production.

      Pirelli Motorsport Director Dario Marrafruschi stated that tires will have to be delivered to Sepang by plane, and when selecting compounds, tire manufacturers will rely on data that is nearly a decade old, as Pirelli will not be able to send its specialists to Malaysia in advance for additional track analysis.

      "If I remember correctly, the last race in Malaysia took place in 2017," says Dario Marrafruschi. "Since 2011, we have been going there every year, so we have accumulated quite a lot of data.

      In 2017, wider tires were used for the first time compared to previous seasons. In terms of the ratio of tire sizes to car characteristics, the situation back then was quite close to the present.

      Therefore, when making a decision, I would rely on the results from 2017 and choose compounds similar to those we used then, rather than in 2016, 2015, or 2014."

      In 2017, Pirelli brought Medium, Soft, and Supersoft compounds to Sepang, which roughly correspond to the current C2, C3, and C4.