F1 / NEWS & CONTEXT

Pirelli turns to 2017 data for Malaysian Grand Prix tyre choice

Pirelli is using data from Formula 1’s last race at Sepang to select tyres for Malaysia’s planned Grand Prix, although parts of the circuit have since been resurfaced.

GPBeat · Newsroom28 Sept 2026, 13:17 · 1 min

Pirelli plans to bring its C2 hard, C3 medium and C4 soft tyres to the Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang on 4 October. The race was announced on 26 July as a replacement for the Bahrain Grand Prix, leaving ten weeks between the announcement and race day.

Dario Marrafuschi of Pirelli told RacingNews365 and other reporters in Hungary that the company would use results from Formula 1’s last Malaysian race, in 2017, to choose the compounds rather than data from earlier years. He said the tyres used in 2017 were somewhat comparable with today’s in width and construction.

Marrafuschi said there was not enough time to send staff to Malaysia for further analysis and measurements while Pirelli prepared the tyres. Sepang’s layout and length have remained the same since 2017, but parts of the circuit have been resurfaced.

Teams know which compounds Pirelli plans to supply, but how well the 2017 results translate to Sepang’s resurfaced sections remains to be seen.

Sources 01

SOURCEF1-teams overgeleverd aan blinde Pirelli-gokRacingNews365 · Source date as found: 2026-09-28

Source context

RacingNews365’s 28 September article reports Marrafuschi’s remarks in Hungary and the planned tyre allocation ahead of the race.

Claims and supporting evidence 6

RacingNews365 reports that Malaysia was designated to host the replacement for the Bahrain Grand Prix, with ten weeks between the July 26 announcement and the scheduled October 4 race.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. The scheduled Bahrain Grand Prix replacement in Malaysia July 26–October 4, 2026 This describes the published schedule, not a race that has already taken place.

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According to RacingNews365's account of remarks made to it and others in Hungary, Pirelli representative Dario Marrafuschi said the company would base its compound decision on results from the last Malaysian F1 race in 2017, rather than earlier years. He said the tyres from that year were somewhat comparable in width and construction to current tyres.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Pirelli's basis for choosing compounds 2017 data used for the planned 2026 race The remarks are available through RacingNews365's report, not a separately supplied Pirelli document.

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Marrafuschi said Pirelli lacked time to send staff to Malaysia for further analysis and measurements because it needed time to prepare the materials.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Preparation for the 2026 Malaysian race Before the scheduled October 2026 race His statement rules out that additional site visit; it does not establish that Pirelli undertook no other preparation.

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RacingNews365 reports that Pirelli planned to bring C2 hard, C3 medium and C4 soft compounds to Sepang.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Announced tyre allocation for Sepang Scheduled October 2026 race weekend This is the reported planned allocation, not evidence of how the tyres performed.

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RacingNews365 reports that Sepang's layout and length have remained the same since 2017, while some sections have been resurfaced. It raises uncertainty about how well the 2017 data reflect current conditions.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Circuit changes since the data year 2017–2026 The resurfacing and its possible relevance are reported by the outlet; no measured effect on the 2026 tyres is supplied.

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Calling the selection wholly blind overstates the available evidence: Marrafuschi identifies a specific historical data source. Whether that basis proves suitable on the resurfaced circuit remains uncertain.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Limits of the uncertainty claim Before the scheduled October 2026 race This distinguishes the stated decision basis from its untested outcome; it does not assess the quality of Pirelli's modelling.

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This article was produced with AI assistance. Source references make its supporting evidence traceable.