Tires will degrade faster in 2012
As the end of the season approaches, Pirelli has already actively focused on the composition of its tires for the 2012 season.
Paul Hembery, director of the F1 program at Pirelli, announced that the tires for next season would tend to be softer than those of 2011: Next year, the compounds will generally be softer. The principle will be that the current mediums will be harder next year…so the components will be softer overall.
The proven goal of the Italian manufacturer is to increase the number of pit stops, which has significantly decreased towards the end of the season compared to the beginning of the year: «At the start of the season, we saw an average of three or four stops per driver, but later on, they dropped to about two. Next year, we are working on an average of three per Grand Prix.»
Hembery also acknowledges that the major beneficiaries of this change could be the two Ferrari drivers, Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa. The Italian team has struggled a lot with the compounds proposed by Pirelli this season, but it should be easier for them in 2012: «They will all benefit from it, but especially Ferrari!»
Pirelli’s director acknowledges, however, that some drivers have adapted very well to the tires offered in 2011, despite the reluctance expressed at the start of the season: Sebastian Vettel was clearly the one who adapted best to the tires this year. Jenson Button was also very good, as were the two Sauber drivers, Kamui Kobayashi and Sergio Pérez.
No wonder then that Vettel and Button find themselves in the top two places of the championship. The interpretation of the tires this year was surely the key to success. Moreover, the Saubers often made one less pit stop than their main rivals, which can be explained by a better utilization of the Italian tires.
