Pre season testing is becoming more and more important with every passing year. The ban on in-season testing means track time away from race meetings is vital. Although teams are still able to introduce upgrades throughout the year, factory simulators, in my view, still do not provide fully accurate data, which can be obtained at a racetrack. For 2011, teams have had to get up to speed with the return of KERS, adjustable rear wings and more critically the arrival of Pirelli tyres to replace Bridgestone as Formula One’s sole tyre supplier for the next three years.
In my view, Bridgestone had it easy last season. All they had to do was create a tyre that lasted a race distance; think back to Sebastian Vettel in Monza and you will see where I am coming from. The only blot on their copybook was the Canadian Grand Prix, which was one of the most thrilling races of the season. Despite Lewis Hamilton securing his first pole position of the season, Red Bull remained favourites. Both Webber and Vettel qualified on the harder tyre, which was expected to hold up much better in the race. Yet, the harder compound also degraded quickly which ensured they gain little advantage from their qualifying gamble. A frantic first few laps meant Hamilton and Fernando Alonso were in as early as lap six, while the Webber and Vettel pitted on lap 13 and 14 respectively. It was an unusual race and, after much anger towards the more strategic races of previous years, it was ironic that an event dictated by pit stops was to provide such excitement.
If you are asking yourselves why I have come over all nostalgic, it is with good reason. Races such as Canada last season will be more frequent this term; Pirelli have reduced tyre durability which means that, according to host of ‘The Flying Lap’ and F1 journalist Peter Windsor: “the Pirellis are currently going off at the rate of about five seconds per stint, regardless of the compound. There is much more degradation with the Pirellis than with Bridgestone, or Michelin for that matter. All teams looking at three-stop races.” Strategy variation was virtually non-existent in 2010 so now drivers and, more crucially, those on the pit wall will have a hell of a lot more to think about. Pirelli have undoubtedly created their tyre to match the standards of tyre durability set in Montreal last season in a bid to spruce up the on track action. As the performance of the tyres drop towards the conclusion of each stint, the pace of the car will follow suit. Mark Hughes’ article in this week’s ‘Autosport’ gives an incredible insight into Pirellis return to F1. Driving slowly to give their tyres the greater endurance is all well and good but there is a high possibility that those who push harder with their rubber and pitted earlier will still remain in front. This sort of incident may occur frequently this season giving teams a real dilemma.
Preserving the Pirellis by having a smoother driving style may well be meaningless in 2011. Someone like Jenson Button, who incredibly managed to get a set of super-softs to last a stunning 39 laps in Abu Dhabi last year, could have just as many problems as the rest of the field. Windsor said: “When Driver A energises the tyres less than Driver B (for the same lap time) I’m afraid it’s a question of talent, not style.” Most assume that F1 is about some of the fastest cars on the planet being driven at the absolute limit but it is so much more than that; managing such fragile tyres and entwining it with the set-up of the car will be crucial. Fighting for every split-second of lap time is only a small part of the business. As you will have noticed by watching interviews with several of the drivers, many have developed quite a distaste for the new tyres. However, it will be fascinating for spectators as there will be much more variation of the pace of the cars at any given time. Take this, for example, from Mark Hughes’ feature on Pirelli in ‘Autosport’: Paul di Resta was following Vettel who was doing long runs in his RB7. The Force India then pitted for fresh rubber and within five laps had caught the 2010 world champion, having made up all the 25s penalty of the stop. It appears that even the quickest of cars may encounter some difficult times as the season drawers closer.
Josh.
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