Tires and 'Black Magic': Mario Isola's take on Pirelli compounds amid drivers' concerns
09/22/2024 07:47 AM
Pirelli, through Mario Isola, addresses George Russell’s concerns about the F1 tires. The Italian supplier intervenes after the strong criticisms made by the British driver following the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. "Even those who make the tires don't understand them," lamented the Mercedes representative, highlighting the discrepancies in performance between the medium and hard tires.
It is undeniable that tires have become a critical point in today’s Formula 1. This is clearly understood by observing the out-laps of the drivers, the preparation laps before the timed qualifying attempt: the preparation is meticulous, scientific, to bring the compounds into the exact temperature window necessary for their proper functioning with a specific setup of the car.
The same occurs during the out-lap from the pits in the race, where drivers are often “forced” to maintain a certain pace to avoid excessively stressing the new set. In reality, this is not enough to advance a criticism towards the supplier, which nonetheless follows the guidelines of the International Federation. Certainly, given the recurring issues even on Saturday in Singapore, it would be appropriate to open a discussion.
Mario Isola’s Take on Pirelli Tires
After the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Pirelli’s motorsport director, Mario Isola, had a conversation with George Russell. The focal point of the discussion was to highlight how, in fact, Pirelli did not find any particular anomalies during the weekend: "Looking at the data from all the cars in Baku – the Italian explains to F1 TV – we did not find anything unusual in terms of tire performance."
"I would say that there are many factors that contribute to performance: the car setup, the care with which the tire is introduced in the early laps, the evolution of the track. When it comes to a championship where every millisecond counts for the final result, the tension is obviously very high and even a small difference in performance can play a role in the final outcome." – the Italian manager explained.
"But Williams performed quite well with both compounds, as did McLaren and other teams. We should therefore analyze specifically what happened with Mercedes, but usually we conduct analyses that concern all teams." – Pirelli’s motorsport director concluded.
Source: f1ingenerale
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