F1 teams at the mercy of Pirelli gamble in Malaysia

The Formula 1 teams are preparing for the Bahrain Grand Prix at the Sepang International Circuit, which marks the venue's return after a nine-year absence. Pirelli, the tyre supplier, is facing challenges as it relies on outdated data from 2017 to determine tyre compounds, due to insufficient time to gather new information.

Pirelli's head of motorsport, Dario Marrafuschi, stated that the decision was made based on historical performance, as the company could not send personnel to assess the track conditions. This situation complicates preparations for the teams, who are also dealing with the absence of recent data for the current generation of cars, making it difficult to ensure tyre suitability for the race.