For Pirelli, it will be ‘hard’ in Barcelona
The Italian manufacturer will offer new hard tires to the teams for the Spanish Grand Prix.
It’s into familiar territory that Pirelli will venture this weekend, after two weeks of intensive testing with all the teams – or almost all – during the winter. On this occasion, the official Formula One tire manufacturer has decided to offer a new type of hard tires to the teams, tested during free practice sessions in Turkey.
« We said, at the beginning of the year, that we would introduce changes to our tires if we thought they could be beneficial for the sport, and we will do so for the first time in Barcelona. »
The introduction of this new tire had actually been considered, at one point, for the Turkish Grand Prix, but Pirelli preferred to abstain and wait for Barcelona, where the manufacturer has more data than on any other circuit.
« This new tire, which has been intensively tested, reduces wear and improves performance » explains Paul Hembery, Pirelli manager. « There isn’t a huge difference from the original hard tire, but it means there will be a bigger gap [in performance] between the soft and hard tires, which makes things even more interesting for the race and will offer teams the opportunity to be more creative in their strategies. »
The Turkish Grand Prix was indeed marked by 81 pit stops, and 7 of the top 8 drivers in the standings opted for a 4-stop strategy. Criticism was raised against this flurry of stops, particularly concerning safety in the pit lane, as Stefano Domenicali mentioned in Diario Sport: « Personally, I think that four stops are too many, especially for safety in the pit lane. In Istanbul, it might be fine, but in other Grand Prix, there will be more difficulties. We will need to be cautious. »
But the Istanbul circuit was a challenge for the tires, and Paul Hembery thinks there should be a maximum of three stops in Barcelona: « According to the data we collected during the tests, we expect about three stops per car. It takes a bit more time to get in and out of the pits in Barcelona than it did in Turkey, and this is another factor that will have an undeniable influence on strategy. »
Find below an onboard lap with Pirelli on the Circuit de Catalunya (in English):
