Pirelli 2013 F1 tyre range

[Il_leone]

jez101

Because they have outsmarted Adrian Newey in knowing how to make the tyres last .. it has been an Enstone philosophy combined with the driver ability of the Renault engine


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[snowy]

I wonder if the teams who have been searching for ever more downforce and aero efficiency have not been paying enough attention to finding better tractability in the areas of power delivery and suspension. The three teams that appear to have achieved more downforce seem to be the ones worst affected by the tyre issues. The slower midfield cars seem to have done very well on the Pirelli's. Is that just coincidence? It will be interesting to see if there is even more disparity on the bumpier circuits like Monaco and Canada. The McLarens will be the ones to watch with their particularly stiff set-ups. If there is any water in this theory those two circuits will see poorer performance from the tyres of Button and Perez.

Fenderman

That is an interesting deduction but I do agree running more downforce chews the tyres quickly

Unfortunately this theory is severely tested by the fact that Mercedes has hardly any downforce compared to McLaren and Red Bull. Mercedes speed was being attributed to mechanical grip, lots of traction out of the corner and they have what should be a tyre friendly suspension. So why on earth are they struggling with the Pirelli tyre?

How is it possible that with the wealth of experience Mercedes have and the problems they had last year they remain clueless as to how the 2013 Pirelli should be conserved and exploited?

If I had Pirelli tyres on my own car I would be very concerned as to whether or not the manufacturer of my car had ever spoken to a member of Pirelli's R&D department...

 

[Slyboogy]

I think the main reason most teams/drivers did 4 stops, is because Ferrari are the ones that triggered it, they knew from the get-go they were going to do 4 stops, while the rest were going for 3, this made the rest react.

I think a knee-jerk reaction is kind of being made, the tyre shredding tracks are out of the way, and we've only had a major issue at one, and that was Catalunya, which is always a major issue in the F1 calender.

But then there are the tyre failures to consider, 5 in two races.

 

[Brogan]

The tyres will be changing for the Canadian GP onwards.

http://www1.skysports.com/formula-1...-heavily-criticised-2013-tyres-to-Canadian-GP

Paul Hemberey's comments were interesting; he basically said that the team which will benefit from this most will be Red Bull and if people want processional races again, they would be happy to design a tyre which does that.

http://www1.skysports.com/formula-1...ts-to-mitigating-circumstances-in-F1-tyre-row

 

[F1ang-o]

http://www1.skysports.com/formula-1...t-hitting-remit-with-controversial-2013-tyres
Bernie has realised that ££££££$$$$$$$$$$ may be affected...

 

[siffert_fan]

To have tyres last 50 miles or less is laughable. If they are going to have to change tyres so often, they should allow refueling at each stop and every car can adopt a different fuel strategy. At least that would lend an element of uncertainty to the proceedings.

 

[snowy]

"There have been concerns from some of the teams that the changes will favour one team or another, but we don't think that will be the case,
These changes are being made for Pirelli, not for anyone else. We need to get the balance right.
We didn't want to over-react, because by doing that we could then be helping certain teams."

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/107422

This man can turn on a sixpence!

 

[F1ang-o]

Apparently the problem is a metal ring in the shoulder which, when it overheats, could melt the tread.

A decision will be made next week as to whether there will be new tyres by the British GP.

I think this explains
http://www.jamesallenonf1.com/2013/05/what-pirellis-mid-season-changes-will-mean/

 

[Chad Stewarthill]

Hembury's statement smacks of blame-shifting. To produce tyres which last such a short distance and litter the track with debris is pitiful and a step too far; Red Bull are not responsible for that, nor are they the only ones complaining. It is also disingenuous to claim that better tyres would lead necessarily to processional racing.

To produce tyres whose tread completely de-laminates from the carcass so frequently is positively dangerous, and no-one is responsible for that except Pirelli.

 

[Mephistopheles]

I believe it to be in the way that a car warms its tyres up the Mercs get the tyres working very quickly and are quick over one lap and so are good in qualifying but the tyres fall apart very quickly. the Lotus warms its tyres up slower and are not that great in qualifying but the tyres last longer.

Maybe the tyres just don't like being heated up too quickly.... Like cooking a stew you get the best results in a slow cooker but you have to wait longer for them.....

 

[The Pits]

Just a quick question.

If they are going to use last years construction with this years compounds, how does that fit with things like minimum weights, aerodynamics, suspension designs etc? This years tyres are a bit heavier than last years, and the minimum weights of the cars were changed to accomodate, and also, the construction changing will have an impact on how the suspension interacts with the tyres, due to sidewall flex etc.

It could make things interesting, then again, I may be talking crap. Again.

 

[Brogan]

I expect the minimum car weight will be reduced to account for the lighter tyres.

It's going to affect a hell of a lot as the tyre profile will be different too, so aero will be affected.

 

[Mephistopheles]

So what you are saying The Pits is that the minimum weight was increased to accommodate the heavier tyres and that a technical change such as weight cannot be altered mid season.

It this is the case then I would imagine that it will give the teams more leeway with adding ballast and where to distribute it...

 

[Mephistopheles]

I maybe wrong Brogan but I believe a technical reg cannot be changed mid season...

 

[Brogan]

The minimum weight was increased from 640kg to 642kg due to the new tyres.

I guess we'll have to wait and see what Bernie decides.

 

[The Pits]

The weight can be changed, I guess, however, there are far more considerations to take in to account.

The design of a car tries to limit unsprung weight as far as possible, and the suspension of the car would have been designed with the weight and construction of the tyre in mind, inlcuding the suspension geometry to best control the tyre.also, as Brogan pointed out the aero will be impacted if there is a change to the shape of the tyre, and the teams spend a lot of time working out how to shape the airflow to minimise the impact of the tyres, and minimise drag. There may only be a small change to the shape, size and weight of the tyres, but I would fully expect some teams to be caught out, if only by a few tenths.

 

[The Pits]

Just re-tweeted by Scarbs:

Read this in the Tech regs Article 12.6.3 : Tyre specifications will be determined by the FIA no later than 1 September of the previous season. Once determined in this way, the specification of the tyres will not be changed during the Championship season without the agreement of all competing teams."

So all the teams would have to agree, although not sure if there is a clause regarding safety that could be invoked in this case.

 

[Mephistopheles]

I will keep my beady eye on that The Pits

 

[Brogan]

All of the teams haven't agreed though.
Interesting.

 

[Mephistopheles]

I seem to remember the teams being forced to move their mirrors from outboard to inboard one year on safety grounds, no discussion needed or asked for by the FIA..