System 1 groups and tyre provider Pirelli have arrived at this weekend’s Brazilian Grand Prix braced for a extra unpredictable weekend than regular.
Whereas the observe structure itself is unchanged from earlier years, what’s totally different is the asphalt – which has been utterly resurfaced since final 12 months’s occasion.
Newly laid tracks add an enormous diploma of uncertainty at grands prix, as groups are by no means positive concerning the impression it could actually have on grip ranges.
At some venues previously – maybe most famously Turkey in 2020 – if the observe has not been handled correctly then it could actually set off an enormous drop in grip and trigger large complications for drivers and groups.
On the different finish of the spectrum, a brand new floor that provides some respectable grip however has not been rubbered in can lead to automobiles sliding a bit extra, which has a adverse impression on tyre degradation.
What Brazil will ship is difficult to make certain of proper now, with the ultimate reply solely coming from the primary follow session when drivers get to expire on observe for the primary time.
As Alpine’s Esteban Ocon mentioned: “This weekend there’s new challenges forward, loads of unknowns for everybody, how the tarmac is and the degradation. How it may be and the grip degree? We do not know.”
Units of Medium and Laborious Pirelli tyres utilized by McLaren
Photograph by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Photos
What the primary knowledge says
There are some early indicators although of what to anticipate – and it factors in the direction of an particularly thrilling F1 weekend.
Early evaluation from Pirelli’s engineers of the Brazil floor reveals that there are not any main alarm bells ringing over the grip on supply.
Motorsport.com has discovered that the micro-roughness of the Interlagos floor reveals a 46% drop in comparison with final 12 months, with macro roughness indicating a 30% drop.
That will level in the direction of the observe in idea providing much less grip than final 12 months, which may lead to extra sliding and due to this fact greater tyre temperatures and extra degradation.
However a deeper dive into the general grip ranges, primarily based on the chemical adhesion interplay of the observe/tyre, has proven that the scenario just isn’t really too totally different to earlier years.
Brazil has historically not been a venue that provides loads of grip, and a few of the knowledge collected forward of the weekend means that some corners may very well be an enchancment on earlier than.
George Russell, Mercedes F1 W14, Sergio Perez, Purple Bull Racing RB19, Lance Stroll, Aston Martin AMR23
Photograph by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Photos
The darker floor
This primary snapshot of information factors then in the direction of the brand new floor possibly not resulting in a dramatically totally different weekend.
Nonetheless, there’s one other fascinating factor that has popped up and will even have the most important impression on how issues end up – and that’s the color of the brand new asphalt.
The brand new floor may be very black, and meaning that it’ll soak up the solar’s temperature way more than the outdated washed-out gray floor that was used up till final 12 months.
Pirelli’s first evaluation of the variation in temperature of the observe floor has already pointed to issues being fairly dramatic – and the early afternoon on Thursday had already registered it nudging in the direction of 60C.
Increased observe temps have a direct impression on tyres temperatures, and will help amplify any thermal degradation – which is at all times an element across the Interlagos observe due to its structure.
The upper temps may then power groups to shift in the direction of the more durable compounds for each the dash and the grand prix, however this alternative is barely sophisticated by the alternatives on supply this weekend.
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes F1 W14, leads Valtteri Bottas, Alfa Romeo C43
Photograph by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Photos
To start with, Pirelli has opted to shift its compounds one step softer than final 12 months, so the 2023 gentle is the 2024 medium.
Then secondly, with Brazil being a dash weekend, the tyre allocation is totally different – with two units of hards, 4 units of mediums and 6 units of softs out there.
The chances are the 2024 gentle just isn’t going to be an appropriate race tyre – so is just actually good for qualifying.
That then means groups are going to need to handle very rigorously how they distribute their tyres throughout the dash and the primary grand prix – understanding full properly that they can not compromise what they want for Sunday.
What groups might want to perceive shortly from follow is that if the medium goes to carry on sufficient for the 24 laps of the dash. Final 12 months that tyre (which was the gentle in 2023) did cope – but when degradation is worse this time round it may make issues troublesome.
If the medium is not ok, then that might make life extraordinarily sophisticated for the race that’s usually a two-stopper.
If groups must run the laborious within the dash, then that would go away them brief for the grand prix – so Saturday may very well be particularly intriguing.
What this all means is an particularly sophisticated race weekend and one the place rain may but throw further uncertainty into the combination.
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