Method 1’s sole tire provider, Pirelli, and the FIA have collaborated on an motion plan to assist keep away from a recurrence of the tire issues that plagued final yr’s Qatar Grand Prix, in response to info obtained by Motorsport.com.
When F1 returned to the revamped Lusail circuit in 2023, it confronted tire points brought on by harm from the brand new “pyramidal” curbs that had been put in. After the primary follow classes, Pirelli found microscopic fractures on the shoulder space between the tread and the carcass.
The difficulty was triggered by drivers working over the brand new curbs, which featured a raised 50 mm edge, inflicting vital impacts when the tires went past the sting. The issue was exacerbated by the high-speed nature of the circuit.
Talking concerning the causes of the problem on the time, Mario Isola, Pirelli’s head, stated: “It’s not simply the geometry of the curbs as a result of these curbs are used at many different circuits. What issues is the time and pace spent on the curbs.”
“Right here, in the course of the lap, all of the drivers spend a variety of time at excessive pace on the curbs, and this damages the development.”
Amid issues that such harm might result in potential failures, the FIA intervened and imposed a most stint size of 18 laps for brand new tires in the course of the race, successfully turning it right into a three-stop occasion.
To stop a recurrence of those points, Pirelli and the FIA have labored extensively to make sure the tires keep away from an analogous state of affairs this yr.
Essentially the most vital change will likely be to the monitor itself: the pyramidal-shaped curbs have been rounded off in seven of the circuit’s 16 corners. These embody the primary two corners, Flip 4, Flip 10, and the part from Flip 12 to Flip 14, the place tires had been most harassed final yr.
Forward of this yr’s WEC race on the circuit, the FIA said: “The ‘Misano’-type curbs on the Lusail Worldwide Circuit are the identical as these used at many different circuits worldwide, homologated by each the FIA and the FIM.”
“It was agreed with the circuit to cut back the height and sharp edges of the ‘Misano’-type curbs at a number of corners to reduce the danger of harm when a automotive goes huge and returns. This modification was carried out in settlement with Method 1, and Pirelli was additionally knowledgeable.”
To additional discourage drivers from going too far off-track, the FIA has additionally put in a collection of gravel strips past the monitor’s curbs.
Along with bodily work on the circuit, Pirelli performed experiments on its dynamic check benches at its R&D Motorsport Division in Milan to higher perceive the forces at play. This concerned utilizing tires on a pattern of the brand new curb design offered by the FIA to find out whether or not the problems might recur.
Additional information was collected from latest checks that some groups performed in Qatar over the previous few weeks. Whereas testing with older automobiles didn’t contain utilizing race-specific tires for 2024, the suggestions gathered was helpful for correlating the work carried out in Milan with real-world eventualities.
Since Lusail is without doubt one of the season’s most demanding circuits by way of power ranges, Pirelli will use the three hardest compounds in its vary.
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