Why teams might abandon Pirelli’s soft tyre

0 Views

Azerbaijan may need been on the Method 1 calendar for nearly a decade, however this weekend is prone to throw up many unknowns.

A type of is attributable to Pirelli’s determination to convey tyre compounds a step softer than final 12 months, because it has already executed for a number of races this season in an effort to steer groups away from defaulting to a one-stop technique.

One of many compounds it’s bringing to Baku is the C6, Pirelli’s softest F1 tyre of all, which generated blended opinions on its debut at Imola, and once more in Monaco and Montreal. The general feeling with the C6 has been that it presents little when it comes to laptime uplift from the C5, which was the softest within the vary, however behaves very in a different way.

Drivers reported difficulties accessing its performance peak, or discovered that the height handed too rapidly and dropped off sharply earlier than the tip of their push laps. A number of groups reported that the outer floor started to maneuver round an excessive amount of as its temperature spiked, giving drivers peculiar and confidence-sapping suggestions.

The Baku City Circuit has a novel configuration that’s prone to trigger issues when it comes to holding tyres within the right working ‘window’. At 6km, it’s longer than many tracks, and has a cut up character through which nearly all of the 20 corners come in brief order over the primary 3.8km, adopted by a 2.2km straight.

Oliver Bearman, Haas VF-24, battles with Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes F1 W15

Picture by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Photos

It’s understood that the tyres lose round 40C by the tip of the straight since they’re below much less duress at pace than they’re within the corner-intensive first two sectors. Given the everyday working temperature window is between 95C and 110C, which means that because the vehicles strategy Flip 1 their tyres might be at kind of the identical temperature as once they got here out of the heated ‘blankets’ within the pitlane.

For that reason there have been ongoing discussions amongst senior engineers about whether or not the C5 ‘medium’ tyre could be a better option than the C6, of which significantly much less is understood as a result of it has solely been used thrice this season.

This a lot was identified earlier than this weekend. However one other issue has come to mild forward of the Azerbaijan GP: the climate forecast.

Friday’s ambient temperature is anticipated to settle at round 22C, 9 lower than the observe day in 2024. Rain is forecast for Saturday and Sunday.

This may make strategic selections the groups face much more perilous, given the identified points with tyre-temperature loss going into Flip 1. That nook is essentially the most demanding braking zone in the world championship calendar, with the next order of g-loadings even than the primary chicane in Monza.

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari F1-75, Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing RB18, battle for the lead ahead of Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB18, Carlos Sainz, Ferrari F1-75, the rest of the field at the start

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari F1-75, Sergio Perez, Pink Bull Racing RB18, battle for the lead forward of Max Verstappen, Pink Bull Racing RB18, Carlos Sainz, Ferrari F1-75, the remainder of the sector at first

Picture by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Photos

Excessive-speed lock-ups are an attendant danger each lap, and a single flat-spot may compromise a complete tyre set. Decrease air and observe temperatures add to the dangers of this occurring.

Given the small distinction when it comes to lap time between the C5 and C6 – Pirelli estimates it as two tenths of a second – it’s extremely possible the groups will elect to stay with a compound they know for the extra important periods.

The primary indicators of this can come throughout free observe: if groups use an additional set of softs in contrast with their traditional run plan, it will likely be an indicator they’re saving C5 mediums for Saturday afternoon’s qualifying. It’s doable some could look to avoid wasting as many as three units.

Working mediums in qualifying wouldn’t be an unprecedented technique. Through the Imola weekend, George Russell secured third on the grid utilizing C5s reasonably than C6s, a tactic he repeated in Canada – the place he claimed pole place.

Whereas Mercedes is broadly anticipated to comply with this path once more, others – mainly Aston Martin are prone to comply with. The image will change into clearer if, as anticipated, groups burn by way of extra smooth units than traditional – an unmistakable signal that the red-walled tyres is not going to be the one ones utilized in qualifying.