Pirelli are entering their second year as F1's sole tyre supplier. (Getty images)
Formula One's official tyre supplier Pirelli have announced the dry weather tyres the teams will be given to use for the first three races of the 2012 world championship season.
The teams will be given the soft and the medium compound tyres for the season opening Australian Grand Prix
that kicks off the season on March 18. The medium and the hard compound tyres will be allotted for the Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang due to the tracks fast and technical corners that put a lot of load on the tyres as well as due to the high temperatures that are likely to be encountered in Sepang should the race remain dry.
For the Chinese Grand Prix, the teams will once more be allotted the soft and the medium compound tyres. Pirelli will also bring its intermediate and wet weather tyres to each race in the event of rain.
Pirelli had previously stated that they had changed the characteristics of the tyres in order to make them softer and hence wear out faster while also increasing the amount of rubber that comes in contact with the track.
Pirelli had also intended to decrease the difference in lap times between the dry weather compound tyres so that teams would have a harder time in choosing the correct strategy to run a race.