Pirelli open for specific tires in Monaco but remains skeptical

The lack of action and overtaking during the Monte-Carlo race came under criticism. The top ten drivers finished in the same position as they started, sparking calls for rule changes to spice up the race.

Perhaps the most sensible idea comes from Mercedes driver George Russell, who suggested bringing only soft tires to Monaco, rather than the usual three compounds, to add a bit of risk. Pirelli’s motorsport boss, Mario Isola, said he would be happy to ask teams to provide simulation data on how a race with only soft tires would play out, but he’s not convinced it would change things significantly, as it would force even greater tire conservation.

« I heard the proposal and discussed it with George, who also talked to me about it,” said Isola. « I think we can ask the teams to do a simulation and see what happens. But in 2018, when they were using softer tires if I remember correctly, they were running eight seconds slower than the tire potential, which was the pace of F2.

Isola explained that providing softer tires for Monaco would not necessarily require additional pit stops and would likely result in drivers slowing down even more to preserve their tires. The problem in Monaco is that you can’t overtake, so you can slow down by 2/3/4 seconds per lap and no one can overtake you, he noted.

« What is important, in my opinion, is that we must consider not only the tyres, but also why a team decides to stop or not. It’s a combination of tyre degradation, overtaking ease, and the time you spend in a pit stop. Imola is a good example, because if you take 28 seconds for an extra stop, you try not to do it.

A circuit issue?

Isola is of the opinion that mandating a minimum number of pit stops would not bring anything either, as teams would probably just stick to the same strategies. I remember many years ago, when there was this proposal [to impose two stops], we had a discussion and the teams asked their strategy engineers to do a simulation.

« The result was that everyone came back with more or less the same strategy. So, by adding constraints, we are not pushing them to have different race strategies or approaches, but simply to converge towards the same one. And that is not what we want. What we want is to have a mix of one pit stop and two pit stops, with different compounds used. To solve the problem, we have to work together, sit down, review all the proposals, run a simulation, and understand what the best approach is.

Asked about what he thought was the best solution for Monaco, Isola replied: « A wider track, but you can’t destroy buildings in Monaco. It’s a unique race where everything is basically decided on Saturday with the qualifications, unless something unpredictable happens. But for the rest of the street circuits, if we use softer tires, maybe we can change the approach a little and open up a strategy for two pit stops where there is only one. I’m thinking about other street circuits like Miami and Las Vegas, the new ones. It’s possible. But for Monaco, honestly, I believe there is very little we can do. »

Isola added that Pirelli had almost finalized the construction of the new slick tires for next year, aimed at reducing overheating, after a test at Paul Ricard this week. There will also be a softer compound added to the selection, which will be specifically designed for urban circuits.

« The idea is also to introduce a new compound C6, softer, because the calendar includes more and more urban circuits and we need softer compounds. We will shift the range slightly towards the softer side, while trying to reduce overheating.