Plan to test new 'better for warm temperature' tyre at British GP

[John S]

But Pirelli wont race it in case it favours one or two teams.             

So the current set of tyres don't favour some teams then?  Would Sauber, in particular, be breathing down Mercedes neck in the championship if not for the present tyres favouring their chassis?

This competitive field claptrap Sounds more to me like Pirelli are admitting that the tyre wear lottery they have created suits them just fine, it keeps all the focus on tyres in every broadcast and report at every GP.         

Pirelli plans to test a new hard compound tyre in practice at the British Grand Prix, but has admitted it is wary of introducing it for races because of fears it could have an impact on the tight world championship battle

F1 teams are in agreement this year that getting the tyres in to the right operational window is a key element to performance, because cars are now so similar in terms of their speed.
 
However, many teams have struggled to unlock the secrets of Pirelli's 2012 rubber - especially when it comes to extracting pace from it in both low fuel conditions for qualifying and then for the race.
 
To help that situation Pirelli is looking at a new hard compound that will have a wider operational range – and should therefore be a help to teams who are struggling to get into the right temperature window.
 
But despite plans to test it, Pirelli motorsport director Paul Hembery says his company is seriously concerned about making any change to the tyres because it could change the competitive situation in F1.
 
"There is a big point to make that if we make a change, particularly with the way the championship has been played this year so close, we don't want to risk creating an advantage for a particular team," he said
 
"So if you imagine, suddenly, for races 10, 11 and 12 one team starts running away, then we're going to come under all the criticism.
 
"We'll test because we want to understand the effect and impact, but it's not necessarily going to happen that we bring it to the races. We've got to be very careful because there's a big difference with the teams on where they are with the tyres at the moment.
 
"We talk to the technicians, so then they're trying to find the success of finding that key of keeping the performance at the highest level for as long as possible.
 
"They would be rather upset, I think, if suddenly it was a little bit easier, and the people that have worked so hard felt that they were getting there, and another team then gets there.
 
"You need to be careful with things like that because it changes during the championship."
 
With a wider temperature range, the new hard compound would be particularly well-suited to warmer conditions, where many teams have struggled to find the right car set-up.

UKeurosport.Yahoo.com, Today.

[lkjohnson1950]

I repeat, as long as Pirelli gives everybody the same tires, it is not a lottery. It is an engineering problem to be solved by the teams. Just like how to get maximum performance from a diffuser, or how to design a front wing that flexes. If Sauber has done it better than Ferrari or Red Bull, well, they have talented designers and engineers too.

[John S]

I repeat, as long as Pirelli gives everybody the same tires, it is not a lottery. It is an engineering problem to be solved by the teams. Just like how to get maximum performance from a diffuser, or how to design a front wing that flexes. If Sauber has done it better than Ferrari or Red Bull, well, they have talented designers and engineers too.

I'm not sure it's by design that Sauber goes well at warmer tracks, but rather just a lucky result of their chassis build.

For me the big problem with the tyres is the massive sudden drop off with no real warning, not just half a second a lap but maybe 3 or 4 secs. Add to this that no one really knows, even Pirelli, when the cliff edge will be and you have a very strange race changing conditions. That to me is too much interence in the race from the tyres, I don't watch F1 to see everyone scuttling for cover to guard a place or failing to attack for places for fear of ending in the boondocks.

 

[Jericoke]

I repeat, as long as Pirelli gives everybody the same tires, it is not a lottery. It is an engineering problem to be solved by the teams. Just like how to get maximum performance from a diffuser, or how to design a front wing that flexes. If Sauber has done it better than Ferrari or Red Bull, well, they have talented designers and engineers too.

I'm not sure it's by design that Sauber goes well at warmer tracks, but rather just a lucky result of their chassis build.

For me the big problem with the tyres is the massive sudden drop off with no real warning, not just half a second a lap but maybe 3 or 4 secs. Add to this that no one really knows, even Pirelli, when the cliff edge will be and you have a very strange race changing conditions. That to me is too much interence in the race from the tyres, I don't watch F1 to see everyone scuttling for cover to guard a place or failing to attack for places for fear of ending in the boondocks.

 

Watching drivers do an entire race on one set of super soft Bridgestones was boring.  Penalising someone for getting the tires wrong adds to the sport.  Lotus and Kimi demonstrated it very clearly.  McLaren paid attention.  Ferrari did not not.

If the race is about who is the best driver, why do we need 80 laps when one will do?  80 laps proves that you've got a team behind you.  Designers, strategists, pit crews all working together.  Something for everyone.  Pirelli makes every person on the paddock important, not just the driver.  It adds tension and drama. 

Everyone sees the Ferrari gambled and lost... but McaLaren gambled too.  There was no guarantee that Alonso's tires would fall off, or that Hamilton would be able to pass easily.  Otherwise we would have watched Hamilton cruise to an easy win with a single stop.

[cosworth151]

Each given type of tire (Soft, Super soft, ect.) seem to be consistent from tire to tire and race to race. It looks like some teams have just done a better job of figuring them out.

[John S]

If the race is about who is the best driver, why do we need 80 laps when one will do?  80 laps proves that you've got a team behind you.  Designers, strategists, pit crews all working together.  Something for everyone.  Pirelli makes every person on the paddock important, not just the driver.  It adds tension and drama. 

Everyone sees the Ferrari gambled and lost... but McaLaren gambled too.  There was no guarantee that Alonso's tires would fall off, or that Hamilton would be able to pass easily.  Otherwise we would have watched Hamilton cruise to an easy win with a single stop.

It adds tension and drama alright but it's much much more false than DRS, even Pirelli doesn't seem to have a clue when, or even if the tyres will go off the cliff. They also don't seem to know how the tyres will react in differing temperature ranges.

I will agree though that Ferrari and Red Bull gambled by staying out when Hammie pitted, they were trying for the win which is what we want to see. However next time a situation like this comes up they will scuttle for safety as the points difference between 2nd/3rd and 5th could be the margin of the championship in this most erratic season. Once bitten twice shy as the saying goes. 

Oh and if your gambling with no real idea if your numbers up, - isn't that a lottery. 

   

[John S]

Each given type of tire (Soft, Super soft, ect.) seem to be consistent from tire to tire and race to race. It looks like some teams have just done a better job of figuring them out.

Well if that's true why is there such jumbled up results at every race, even the Sauber boys have trouble at half the races getting the tyres to work.

Now if they had some in season testing they should be able to run real time race simulations in different temperature conditions with different tyre combinations, then they might understand what's going on.

[lkjohnson1950]

The tires are not that different than last year. The reduced down force due to no blown diffusers has amplified the sensitivity of the cars. The teams had a chance to test at Mugello and nearly all of them said it was a waste of time. They had an opportunity to do a new driver test at Silverstone mid season and nearly all declined. This is not the first season that results depended on getting the most out of the tires. Why did no one whine when Ferrari had an inside line to Bridgestone no one else had? Pirelli cannot tell when the tires will fall off. If they know, telling would defeat the purpose of tires that degrade. I don't think they know because it changes depending on the abrasiveness of the track, the temperature and the weather. And there appears to be a trade off between qualifying well and racing well. The former top teams qualify well, but Lotus and Sauber race well.  I think it's fascinating, and much better than watching Vettel or Schumacher win all the races.

[Cam]

Why did no one whine when Ferrari had an inside line to Bridgestone no one else had?

That situation was a bit more subtle than the current one. By the time the Ferrari/Schumi/Bridgestone party took off people were too busy whining about Schumi to notice.

[lkjohnson1950]

Joe Saward weighs in on the tire Lottery:

http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2012/06/14/whingeing-and-whining-in-f1/

[Scott]

I don't always agree with him, but that's a good piece.  I'm enjoying this season

[John S]

Don't get me wrong I'm enjoying this season as well, I just never figured it would turn into the Pirelli world championship. 

Can't lay claim to that title, Giancarlo Minardi is reported to have called this year's championsip 'The Pirelli world championship'. 

[vintly]

I'm enjoying it too - it's great seeing some of the best drivers in the world completely bemused - maybe Pirelli's secret is that it IS a lottery - some of the tyres in the batch are better than others!

Maybe not. Besides, with the weather we've been having so far this so-called summer, it'll be wets at Silverstone anyway.

[F1fanaticBD]

 I guess due to that luck factor of "window period", team personnel are trying to express their frustration by terming it as a lottery. But does it means that teams get their result without putting up much of an effort? I don't think so, and being favoured by luck is a very integral part of motor-racing.