A significant degradation of tires to be expected in Miami
The asphalt that makes up the layout of the brand new Miami track, made of limestone and granite, is highly abrasive and will lead to significant tire degradation.
The big appointment is getting closer and closer. This weekend, the Formula 1 cars will set their wheels on the Miami track for the first time, around the Hard Rock Café Stadium.
While the final adjustments are being completed, the asphalt of the circuit has been analyzed and decoded by Sam Worthy, the director of the Apex Circuit Design project, who conceptualized this layout.
Reduced grip or reduced adherence
To construct this asphalt, nearly 24,000 tons of asphalt were used, in three layers. And its production required a lot of engineering and analysis, says Sam Worthy.
« The FIA requires that the asphalt be laid at least 60 days before the race weekend. We have reached this deadline, so the asphalt will have hardened by the Grand Prix. We are starting to see the limerock underneath because the top layer of binder is now coming off. White spots can be seen on it. Normally, limerock is a poor material to use for F1 tracks. On one hand, it can crumble, and on the other hand, it becomes polished. Therefore, tire degradation is generally not good, and grip is reduced. However, in southern Florida, the predominant aggregate is a more abrasive limerock. »
“A pavement made of 60% granite.”
« Our asphalt specialists, R3, have examined it and said that they have never seen anything like it in the world, as it is much tougher than expected and will allow us to achieve the appropriate abrasiveness in our asphalt mix, with a 60% mixture of granite extracted in Georgia. R3 has been involved closely or remotely in most recent F1 circuits, so their data from other tracks gives us a good reference. »
According to R3, the limerock used for this circuit is mainly composed of silica, which breaks down and degrades as cars pass over it. This results in a much higher tire degradation compared to what is typically obtained with limerock elsewhere in the world, explains the Apex Circuit Design project director.
