The Pirelli 18-inch tires that will make their debut in the 2022 Formula 1 season will be a key factor in a more sensitive way than one might believe. Some drivers, for example, will be comfortable with these new tires that are thinner in footprint, but taller, while others will have to correct their driving style. Pirelli’s goal with these new tires is to allow drivers to push without worrying too much about tire management, one of the constants that characterized the Formula One races during the turbo-hybrid era.
Mario Isola, Pirelli’s motorsport manager, at the end of the two-day test in Abu Dhabi made an initial assessment of the impressions that drivers had regarding the 2022 tires after the testing session at the Yas Marina circuit:
“I had the opportunity to exchange first impressions with the drivers about the new tires and the feedback is positive – the words of Mario Isola reported by the racingnews365.com site – they told me that it is a little easier to drive behind others and the fact that they are heavier is felt at the level of ‘heaviness’ of the steering. Indeed, the front rims alone weigh 2.5 kg more, the rear ones 3 kg more ”.
Therefore, it will be necessary to be ‘perfect’ in the braking phase, while the traction seems to satisfy the drivers in the acceleration phase. To make comparisons in terms of lap times, it is too early for Mario Isola since there are several variables to consider: “The 2022 tires were used on mule cars that certainly were not refined in terms of set-up, so it is useless to make comparisons between the times of those who have tried a simulation of Qualifying with 2021 cars and those who have driven with mule cars to start getting familiar with next year’s tires. In 2022, on the other hand, I am sure that the teams will quickly recover the gap that is expected as compared to the 2021 cars in terms of timing “. – the Pirelli official concluded.
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