Pirelli: the tires could degrade more during the race
Tomorrow's weather, and more specifically, the track temperature, should significantly affect strategies at Silverstone. If the temperature increases or decreases compared to Saturday, drivers might thus be forced to adopt a two-stop strategy.
The weather for Sunday’s race in England is still uncertain. The skies above the Silverstone circuit are naturally unpredictable… Rain is certainly not expected, but temperature variations could disrupt tire performance, whether it’s hotter or colder than during qualifying.
Paul Hembery, the head of competition at Pirelli, explains how these fluctuations in temperature could lead to strategic changes for the 20 drivers: « If the weather stays like today, we should see a one-stop strategy for most drivers. If it’s hotter or colder, we might have a two-stop strategy. However, the weather in England is famously unpredictable, so we shouldn’t draw too many conclusions yet ».
Paul Hembery points out that cooler than expected temperatures can also wear the tires more: Generally, wear is greater with higher temperatures, but the tires can also be affected by cooler than expected temperatures because they slip more when they are outside their ideal operating window.
For the Silverstone Grand Prix, two dry track compounds will be offered to the drivers: medium tires and hard tires. Strong gusts of wind, common at Silverstone, could finally disrupt the behavior of the cars in the many fast corners of the track.
