It had to be the season of frozen rules, of stability. Instead, it changes all the time. The calendar (3 October Turkish GP instead of Singapore), the rules (the last modification to the pit stops) and even the tires. In spite of the transition year, tires are the elements most capable of influencing the performance of a car. Changing them mid-season could have repercussions.
From next week here in Austria i team, during free practice, will test new rear tires with a more robust construction that incorporate elements of the 2022 tires. a move by Pirelli, which is added to that of the Federation against the cunning of the pressures, that is those teams suspected of communicating data other than those real, that is to turn with pressures below the minimum allowed ones. To get more performance: better traction, first of all, since the 2021 regulations have cut the downforce of the cars by 10%. The case had exploded after the subsidence of the rear left of Verstappen and Stroll in the Baku GP.
If all goes according to plan – the teams have accepted the change – they will be introduced in the Silverstone GP. Pirelli has decided to take this path to reinforce the latest FIA technical directive on pressure control and tire use parameters. In practice, a double turn of the screw in anticipation that next year sensors will be adopted that can monitor tire data in real time even on the move and not just at a standstill as it is now. Compared to a few races ago – admits Mario Isola – Pirelli’s F1 manager – the situation has improved much with the new technical directive. The number of checks gives us guarantees on how the teams use the tires, but we do not yet have a sensor and until 2022 it will not be possible to mount it.
To understand we need to take a step back, go back to the Azerbaijani GP on 6 June. When suddenly, in full straight, Stroll’s Aston Martin and Verstappen’s Red Bull they crash at high speed. The Dutchman comes out by kicking his left rear. Controversy and counter-accusations follow, Pirelli together with the FIA conducts an in-depth analysis to shed light on the two accidents. Debris or structural defects are excluded, the survey also shows that the teams have respected the rules on the minimum pressures allowed at the time of the start.
And here is the crux: the checks are in fact carried out cold and not hot in the competition phases, therefore I suspect that someone has found a way to manipulate the pressures to obtain a competitive advantage. Otherwise, neither the introduction of the mandatory valve from 2022 nor the buffer solution of a new more resistant rubber for such a small number of races in 2021 would be explained. Because safety is at stake, in addition to the image of those who supply tires to F1. According to Isola the changes are not so big as to modify the behavior of the cars, on paper the balance between the teams should not change.
June 26, 2021 (change June 26, 2021 | 11:25)
© REPRODUCTION RESERVED