Hamilton three-tenths off the absolute pole record in Melbourne
The F1 single-seaters make significant progress year after year. Lewis Hamilton clocked a time this Saturday that was 2.5 seconds faster than in 2015, on supersofts. Pirelli also expects surprises in the race tomorrow.
The current V6s may make less noise, but they are not any slower… Since 2014 and the implementation of the new regulations, F1 single-seaters have made substantial progress. This Saturday in Melbourne, Lewis Hamilton was 2.5 seconds faster than last year and came within 0.3 seconds of the absolute pole record (held by Sebastian Vettel in 1 min 23 s 529, in his 2011 Red Bull).
It should nevertheless be noted that the drivers were able to use the super soft tires this year following the introduction of the new tire regulations. According to Pirelli, Lewis Hamilton’s time, on soft tires, would probably have been seven-tenths slower.
Pirelli nevertheless welcomes this increase in performance, especially since the start of the weekend was not easy with a Friday lost due to rain: « The teams approached a new qualifying format with relatively little tire data » recalled Paul Hembery, the director of competition for the Italian manufacturer.
During Free Practice 3, with the track finally dry, the teams didn’t have the necessary time to conduct complete race simulations. In addition, they will have three tire compounds (medium, soft, and supersoft) available for tomorrow’s race, instead of two as in the previous year. The top 8 drivers will start on supersofts… If we add the uncertain arrival of rain to this picture, we understand the engineers’ anxiety in the paddock.
Here is a sign of unpredictable strategies according to Paul Hembery: The rain and limited running yesterday, as well as the new tire regulations, mean that the race strategy is still difficult to predict. He therefore does not venture to predict the best possible strategies, a fact rare enough to be highlighted.
The unknowns are therefore numerous. But at least the performance gap between the tires is known: the soft tires are faster by 1.2 seconds per lap compared to the medium tires, and the super softs are quicker by 0.7 seconds than the softs per lap – information that Pirelli still wishes to confirm, however.
