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Pirelli chooses Japan and Korea tyres

The soft tyre will be the option compound in Japan and the prime in Korea © Sutton Images

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• Race:
• 1. • Korean Grand Prix
  2. • Japanese Grand Prix

Pirelli has announced it will be supplying the medium and soft tyres at the Japanese Grand Prix, while it will take the soft and supersoft to Korea.

The amount of medium and high speed corners at Suzuka requires the more durable medium compound, which was used alongside the soft at Monza last weekend. With only one race having taken place in Korea previously, Pirelli is heading even more in to the unknown, but motorsport director Paul Hembery says that simulations have shown the soft and supersoft to be the best pairing.

"After careful analysis of all the data we have available, we have come up with what we believe to be the nominations that are best suited to the characteristics of each circuit," Hembery said. "While Suzuka is a track that we've competed on before, both in GT racing and on motorbikes, Korea is a circuit that most people are still learning about. Nonetheless, we benefit from advanced simulation technology that allows us to accurately predict the likely behaviour of each tyre even on tracks that we have never seen before.

"The extra performance of the supersoft makes it one of the most dynamic tyres in our range, which will form a key part of the strategy in Korea. Before then, the combination of medium and soft that will be used in Japan was last seen on our home grand prix in Italy, resulting in an extremely exciting race."

The medium and soft pairing has been used four times previously this season, in Valencia, Germany, Belgium and Italy, while the soft and supersoft were selected for Monaco, Canada, Hungary and Singapore.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.