The tyre nomination for the 2018 Spanish Grand Prix goes softer this year, with the supersoft making which is set to make its debut on the Circuit de Catalunya alongside the soft and the medium. The hard tyre has always featured in the past, yet this season a new surface – that the Formula One teams got the opportunity to experien for the first time during the pre-season testing sessions just over two months ago – has now altered the complexion of the Barcelona track, providing a lot more grip but with reduced wear and degradation. And that is not the only thing that’s new in Barcelona ahead a busy and interesting weekend.
The Circuit de Catalunya circuit from a tyre point of view:
The surface may be smoother, but the long and high speed corners remain, putting plenty of energy and stress through the tyres: the classic examples are Turn 3 and Turn 9.
• Wear and degradation rates will need to be re-assessed. Although the teams tried out the new surface at the start of the year, the weather was much cooler, and the cars were much less evolved. The new surface may have evolved as well.
• Conditions tend to be warm – sometimes very warm – during the weekend.
• Barcelona contains a good all-round mix of corners and loadings that emphasise every aspect of a car’s performance: one of the reasons why it is a popular testing venue.
• The new surface has led Pirelli to reduce the tyre tread depth by 0.4 millimetres. This has no effect on performance but helps to control slick tyre temperature.
• The front-left tyre is worked hardest, with Catalunya being a front-limited track.
• Last year, with harder compounds nominated, the majority of the field stopped twice but with a variety of different strategies: in the past, Spain has also been a three-stop race.
Pirelli’s racing manager Mario Isola comments on what to expect ahead of the 2018 Spanish Grand Prix in terms of tyre management: “This year, Barcelona isn’t exactly like going to a new circuit for the teams: but the changes to the surface are still significant enough to alter some of the track’s fundamental characteristics. We too have made a change by reducing the tread depth on the slick tyres to reduce the risk of overheating, as we will also do for Paul Ricard and Silverstone, but it’s not a change that any of the drivers will notice in terms of performance or stint length. The teams already have some knowledge of the new asphalt from pre-season testing, but the weather is now much warmer, the cars considerably faster and there will also be some ageing of the surface. This year, we bring the supersoft to the Spanish Grand Prix – effectively, two steps softer than the softest nomination in 2017, as all the compounds are a step softer anyway – so the homework done in free practice will be particularly important.” – Mario Isola explained, as reported by Pirelli’s official website.
What’s new:
A lot of things: Formula One is back in Europe, new asphalt, the supersoft in Spain, and also a slightly thinner tread on the slick tyres.
• All three top teams – Mercedes, Scuderia Ferrari, and Red Bull – have made different tyre selections for the next event of the 2018 Formula One season.
• The 2018 GP3 season begins, alongside Formula 2, which is also in Barcelona.
• The first two-day in-season test will take place after the Spanish Grand Prix, with McLaren and Force India running a second car on each day for Pirelli’s 2019 tyre development programme.
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