As it turns out in the United States: the more different stopping strategies, the more fun and exciting the race. More than once there is a call to develop tires that encourage multiple stops. Unfortunately, the opposite appears to be true.
Tires are very good
The wider Pirelli tires will debut in 2022. A lot of testing has been done on these tires in recent months. The important conclusion is that the tires are very stable and drivers can continue to use the full throttle without causing overheating. Punishment? We were only able to see one-stop races, Mario Isola, Racing Director at Pirelli, agrees in conversation with cars and sports.
“This danger exists,” Italian admits. “Our focus was on making a tire that would heat up less so the riders could drive longer. We told them (during tests) to drive one lap and every lap. In the short term, you should use DRS in qualifying, not race trim. So we reiterated. Different scenarios. We asked them to continue each lap with a heavy car for the long term. We also asked them to do a cold run and then sprint again to see if the grip would return. The results and feedback from the drivers were very good. Our expectations were confirmed.”
New tires (probably) not only last longer, but also look very different. They are larger (thirteen to eighteen inches) and heavier. Exactly how heavy it is, that’s still a guess. “We are still waiting for the latest version of the rims,” Isola said. “The front tire, including the frame, should be 2.5 kilograms heavier. At the rear axle, there’s an extra three kilograms per tire.”
Larger outer diameter
Isola continues: “So together there are eleven kilograms. The difference between the individual tires is a few hundred grams – the difference is made by the planted rim. We have a small sidewall. Instead, the outer diameter increases. They are currently 660 mm in size. We reach 720 mm.”
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