Why Imola F1 race is the acid test for radical tire plan

Pirelli’s best problem since changing into Components 1’s sole tire provider in 2011 has been to reconcile its temporary – to ship tires whose efficiency drops off sharply past a given level – with the drivers’ want to have rubber which they’ll push on by means of a complete stint. These two necessities may not be mutually unique however the ‘candy spot’ between them is tough to search out.

No person, least of all of the drivers, needs to have races which settle into lengthy processional phases the place no person dares push for worry of degrading their tires sooner than rivals. When overtaking is troublesome – both as a result of monitor format militates in opposition to it or automotive efficiency is just too carefully matched – guarding monitor place turns into the strategic crucial and groups look to minimise the variety of pitstops they need to make.

This 12 months Pirelli has given drivers extra of what they needed by adjusting its compounds to be extra resilient – and the impact, together with automotive efficiency converging, has been extra one-stop races with much less strategic variation. At a number of rounds the distinction in life and lap time between the exhausting and medium compounds has been so small that it has all however eradicated the technique of, say, extending a stint to construct a tire offset for later within the race.

Presently it’s mandated that three dry-weather compounds – marked exhausting, medium and delicate – are introduced to every spherical. Till this 12 months these have been drawn in sequence from a pool of 5, formally named C1-C5, relying on the necessities of the circuit.

The processional nature of the Japanese Grand Prix alarmed all of the stakeholders, prompting Pirelli to recommend an answer: ‘skipping’ compounds so there’s a larger step in tire efficiency. This might push groups in the direction of two-stop methods or introduce a component of peril in dash weekends, forcing them to make troublesome decisions and potential sacrifices.

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari, Isack Hadjar, Racing bulls Group

Photograph by: Peter Fox / Getty Photos

However it all hinges on the efficiency of the C6 tire – new for this 12 months and, thus far, examined however not raced. At Imola it is going to be within the mixture of potential decisions for the primary time, and the info gathered right here – supplied the weekend is essentially dry – will inform Pirelli’s resolution to take its compound-skipping plan ahead or not.

As Pirelli motorsport boss Mario Isola defined through the Miami weekend, the present compounds can’t be modified through the season, so the corporate needed to discover different levers to tug.

“We have to perceive if there may be another attainable method in tire choice to push them [the teams] to have a two-stop technique,” he stated.

For Imola Pirelli is bringing the softest decisions of the season thus far – the C6 was initially envisioned as a super-soft choice for avenue circuits. What Pirelli needs to keep away from is the destiny dealt to the ‘hyper-soft’ compound launched in 2018: used for the primary and solely time in Monaco, it didn’t ship the anticipated outcome as your entire grid plodded round, a number of seconds a lap off their qualifying occasions, to keep away from having to cease greater than as soon as.

Pirelli’s view is that it must see how the C6 performs in race circumstances as a result of all it has now could be check knowledge which is much less consultant.

“Hopefully, if it’s dry, [the aim is] to get knowledge on the C6,” stated Isola, “after which attempt to simulate once more different races to see if skipping one degree [will work] – for instance, between C3 and C4 the delta lap time is sort of shut, perhaps we will think about C2, C4 and C5.

Mario Isola, Racing Supervisor, Pirelli Motorsport, talks to the press

Photograph by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Photos

“That implies that if you wish to go on a one-stop C2-C4, the C2 is clearly slower, so that you should not have the identical benefit as should you nominate C3, C4 and C5.

“In another circumstances we will think about to make use of C3, C5 and C6. Or C2, C4 and C5. So Imola is important as a result of we’d like further knowledge on the C6.”

For Monaco this 12 months, two stops have been made obligatory, however that is unlikely to be adopted throughout the board as a result of it could possible result in all groups working broadly the identical methods and stopping on the similar level. What the stakeholders need to obtain is a situation the place there may be extra strategic variation and the place the optimum decisions are much less apparent – so there could be a mixture of one and two-stop methods, probably even three.

Reaching that is finest accomplished by encouragement than power.

The attendant danger of getting extra separation between compounds is that one turns into the de facto qualifying tire and is rarely utilized in race circumstances. Pirelli has been working with the business rights holder to simulate potential outcomes and mitigate this danger.

“We are able to additionally do C1, C3 and C5,” stated Isola. “I am undecided concerning the outcome, however we will try this.

“We [would] by no means determine it ourselves. We make a proposal to the FIA and F1. We share the proposal with the groups after which we come to an settlement with the approval of the FIA.

A few of F1 and Pirelli’s simulations have concerned exploring whether or not it could be attainable to power groups into troublesome trade-offs throughout dash weekends – maybe sacrificing some efficiency within the dash to have a extra optimum tire choice for the race. Whether or not these situations might truly be engineered, given the groups’ simulation capabilities, is one other query.

“It is a endless story,” stated Isola. “We attempt to create a problem to the groups, and so they discover a resolution…”

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