Sepang tyre choice explained: why Pirelli’s C2, C3 and C4 matter

Summary

C2 will be the Hard tyre, C3 the Medium and C4 the Soft at Sepang.
Pirelli’s selection aims to bring one-stop and two-stop strategies closer together.
Friday’s running will help establish how the 2026 cars manage the circuit’s heat and abrasive surface.

Pirelli’s tyre selection for the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia could make the number of pit stops an important part of the battle at Sepang. The supplier has nominated C2, C3 and C4 for Formula 1’s first race at the circuit since 2017, choosing a range that leaves teams with a balance between durability and performance.

The three compounds will carry the familiar weekend designations: C2 is the white-marked Hard, C3 the yellow-marked Medium and C4 the red-marked Soft. Those names describe their position within Sepang’s selection, rather than a fixed identity throughout the championship.

That distinction matters after Baku, where C3 was the Hard and C4 the Medium. At Sepang, both move one place towards the softer end of the weekend’s available options, even though their compound numbers remain unchanged.

What do C2, C3 and C4 mean?

Pirelli’s 2026 dry-weather range runs from C1, the hardest compound, to C5, the softest. Three are nominated for each event, with the selection reflecting the circuit’s demands and expected conditions.

Sepang receives the middle trio. The table below explains their relative characteristics and the potential roles teams will assess during practice.

Compound	Sepang designation	Colour	Potential role
C2	Hard	White	Longer race stints, prioritising durability
C3	Medium	Yellow	A balance between race pace and stint length
C4	Soft	Red	Qualifying performance and potentially shorter race stints

The C2 offers the most durable option available this weekend, but choosing it still involves a performance trade-off. Teams must establish whether its longer useful life compensates for the speed available from a softer compound.

The C3 occupies the middle ground and gives strategists another way to balance pace against longevity. The C4 offers the softest option, although its usefulness in the race will depend on how consistently it performs over successive laps.

Why has Pirelli chosen this range for Sepang?

Pirelli describes the selection as more aggressive than the harder alternative. Its intention is to narrow the difference between completing the race with one stop and making an additional visit to the pits.

That creates a straightforward strategic question: can the speed gained on fresher tyres recover the time lost during another stop? A driver staying out longer avoids that extra pit-lane loss, but must maintain competitive lap times as the stint progresses.

This does not establish a preferred strategy before practice. It gives teams a choice to investigate, with tyre performance, traffic and the timing of each stop determining which approach works best.

Heat and asphalt make Friday important

Pirelli identifies thermal degradation as a significant variable for the weekend. Sepang’s relatively abrasive surface adds another consideration, while grip is expected to improve as the circuit receives more running.

The supplier’s latest assessment also accounts for resurfacing between Turns 6 and 12 in 2023 and further work around Turn 9. Despite those changes, its engineers found the overall surface characteristics broadly similar to their 2017 assessment.

Friday’s long runs will therefore help teams turn an initial compound selection into a race plan. Beyond a tyre’s fastest lap, engineers need to understand how its performance changes with fuel load and stint length.

For viewers, that makes consistency an important detail to follow during practice. A strong opening lap on the Medium or Soft has a different strategic value from a run that remains competitive as the tyres accumulate mileage.

Why Baku’s tyre strategy cannot simply be repeated

Baku used the softer C3–C4–C5 selection, while Sepang introduces C2 and removes C5. The change means the same Hard, Medium and Soft labels will refer to a different set of compounds.

Teams consequently need to judge the available tyres in their new setting. A strategy built around Baku’s Hard cannot be transferred directly to Sepang simply because both tyres carry white markings.

The Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia takes place from October 2–4. Practice begins on Friday, when teams will get their first opportunity to compare the three nominated compounds with the 2026 cars at Sepang.