Tyre Selection For The 2018 Spanish Grand Prix

[Deephouse]

Tyres for the 2018 Spanish Grand Prix.

[Deephouse]

Are we ever gonna see the Hard compounds this season?

[Larry_Cule]

Are we ever gonna see the Hard compounds this season?It's possible for the Hard tyre.
No chance for the Super Hard

[jgonzalesm6]

Are we ever gonna see the Hard compounds this season?


If it was up to the teams BUT Pirelli picks the tyre choices....:roll

[512 TR]

Merc will be strong on the harder compounds at this race (meaning medium but also somewhat on the soft). They will most likely go for one stop. I believe the track is resurfaced so that's why the hard compound isn't going to be used. I think that's good for us as Merc would be even stronger, relatively to us, on the hard tyre. I think everyone will go for the soft tyre in Q2 and start on it. Question is then if Merc go S-M do we do the same or do we go for two stops, S-SS-SS? This type of strategy hasn't happened yet as we have done what Merc has done so far, even though we brought all those US tyres at the last two races. I guess it's all down to where we end up after Q3. If it's on the front row and we're 1-2 after the start I think the leading car may go for two stops if there is a gap opened up.

[Greig]

We are not 25 seconds a stint faster than Merc so doing an extra stop is highly unlikely.

[512 TR]

We are not 25 seconds a stint faster than Merc so doing an extra stop is highly unlikely.

Maybe two stints on the SS tyre is actually 25 seconds faster than one stint on the M tyre, especially on a lower fuel load with ca 3/5 of the race left? Also, it all depends on what kind of traffic a driver has to face once a pitstop is made. If it's clean air for most of the time then that will obviously also help. Example: The race is 59 laps. Drivers pit around lap 25 and either go to the end (34 laps on the medium) or do two 17 laps stints on the SS (second stop on lap 42). The driver on the SS tyre would have to gain around 14-15 seconds in 17 laps (stint 2) to have a chance of catching the driver on the M tyre with almost the same amounts of seconds in stint 3 to then have a chance the last 2-3 laps to pass for a better position. Less than a second per lap with the softest compund vs the hardest. That's the question.

[Greig]

Maybe two stints on the SS tyre is actually 25 seconds faster than one stint on the M tyre, especially on a lower fuel load with ca 3/5 of the race left? Also, it all depends on what kind of traffic a driver has to face once a pitstop is made. If it's clean air for most of the time then that will obviously also help. Example: The race is 59 laps. Drivers pit around lap 25 and either go to the end (34 laps on the medium) or do two 17 laps stints on the SS (second stop on lap 42). The driver on the SS tyre would have to gain around 14-15 seconds in 17 laps (stint 2) to have a chance of catching the driver on the M tyre with almost the same amounts of seconds in stint 3 to then have a chance the last 2-3 laps to pass for a better position. Less than a second per lap with the softest compund vs the hardest. That's the question.

Would rather have the track position, I imagine most will follow the same amount of stops only if your out of position would you need to try something different.

[512 TR]

Would rather have the track position, I imagine most will follow the same amount of stops only if your out of position would you need to try something different.

Yes, track position is very important this year with the regs being what they are and Seb proved that in Bahrain by staying out. I guess testing will answer some question and it seems Williams might be going for two stops. If Ferrari mirrors Merc again it's all about the undercut/overcut and that didn't work in China as Bottas took the lead. Australia was pure luck with the SC. Not to forget about RBR either. But depending on the race strategy the cars will have to be setup with that mind so waiting for race day and the order after the start is not the entire picture. The thing I'm a little bit scared of is that Merc will be quicker on the mediums.

[Aberracus]

Barcelona is a very very difficult to overtake track

I suspect a parade, let’s hope we can keep getting 1-2 in quali after the upgrades in Barza, and try not to be undercut by mercs.
They will not overcit us, but with their super pace on mediums they can undercut us.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Aberracus]

Barcelona is a very very difficult to overtake track

I suspect a parade, let’s hope we can keep getting 1-2 in quali after the upgrades in Barza, and try not to be undercut by mercs.
They will not overcit us, but with their super pace on mediums they can undercut us.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Can this race be made on ss/s ?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[paolo lalli]

Lets see if there are safety car scenarios virtual vs actual actual can turn a race on its head Charlie needs to be carful as race diractor with his choice should it eventate the virtual would have been fine for last race.

[prancing horse]

I think everyone will 2 stop. Barcelona is as hard as you get on tires with all those sweeping fast corners.
Remember last year everyone 2 stopped. In Bahrain which is a lot easier on tires we just managed 1 stopping with softs. Mercs did it with mediums.
To compensate for new surface Pirelli has taken rubber off tires.
Key will be whether we can get a front row lock out at quali as it is impossible to overtake there. If we do as long as Seb is the lead car we are looking good.

[512 TR]

Can this race be made on ss/s ?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Since the circuit has a new surface (less abrasive) then maybe. But that would probably mean a very long last stint on the softs as the SS tyre, with a heavy fuel load from the start, would chew up that SS tyre rather quickly. Also, even with a new surface the load on the left front is huge on this track.

Another question is if teams can gamble in Q2 and try to make it to Q3 on the medium tyre. If yes, that would really open up a lot. Then it would really be possible to either to a shorter stint on the medium tyre at the start and switch over to the softs or do a long first stint and then switch over to the SS tyre.

Edit: I made an error in a post above. The race is obviously 66 laps and not 59. So in that example stops would have to be made around lap 30 and then again around lap 48 with some 18 laps to the flag. A two-stopper with a first stint on the softs that is.

[mhmalik]

It's possible for the Hard tyre.
No chance for the Super Hard

Pirelli described the super hard as the back-up compound in case the performance of cars exceed their calculations... so they don't intend to race it unless the softer tyres become too fragile because of performance gains

[JPBD]

I think everyone will 2 stop. Barcelona is as hard as you get on tires with all those sweeping fast corners.
Remember last year everyone 2 stopped. In Bahrain which is a lot easier on tires we just managed 1 stopping with softs. Mercs did it with mediums.
To compensate for new surface Pirelli has taken rubber off tires.
Key will be whether we can get a front row lock out at quali as it is impossible to overtake there. If we do as long as Seb is the lead car we are looking good.

True in the past, but the new track surface is farrrrr less abbraisive. So much so that Pirelli reduces the tread depth by 0.4mm because, due to the increased grip of the track surface, was causing the tyres to overheat. Pirelli said they did this instead of moving to harder compounds, which was the alternative.

So I think it’s very much an unknown this season, but I think it’ll be 1 stops all the way... probably with an artificial safety car determining the final result. Seems to be Libert’s MO.

[Ferrarichamp]

so how should we view Barcelona today? Ferrari or Merc track?

[IulianFerrari]

Going to be tricky. We might have to copy mercedes's strategy and i am pretty confident they will do 1 stop. Track position is key so we need good qualy here. 1-2 at the start here will be huge

[prancing horse]

so how should we view Barcelona today? Ferrari or Merc track?

I am beginning to think this is our championship to lose.
Reading between the lines and how competitive we been I think we will be very competitive there. Our car is better suited to this type of track than last year.
I know Mercs have been saying they were quickest there in winter testing but it is clear that we were sandbagging then.

[jgonzalesm6]

True in the past, but the new track surface is farrrrr less abbraisive. So much so that Pirelli reduces the tread depth by 0.4mm because, due to the increased grip of the track surface, was causing the tyres to overheat. Pirelli said they did this instead of moving to harder compounds, which was the alternative.

So I think it’s very much an unknown this season, but I think it’ll be 1 stops all the way... probably with an artificial safety car determining the final result. Seems to be Libert’s MO.

yep--> New surface and .4mm shave off the tread.


so how should we view Barcelona today? Ferrari or Merc track?

Ferrari. Merc have their own issues with tyres. We have gone +10 laps or more on the recommended criteria by Pirelli on said tyres (nail bitting on my end).


Going to be tricky. We might have to copy mercedes's strategy and i am pretty confident they will do 1 stop. Track position is key so we need good qualy here. 1-2 at the start here will be huge

Yes, Merc's will do a 1 stop.....VSC/SC contigent.

[Brembo]

It seems to be F- Pirelli not F1. If they have a favorite team and it's not Ferrari, we are doomed. They for sure are now running the show. How soft can a tire get? :rotfl

[mwk360]

Tyres for the 2018 Spanish Grand Prix.

thank goodness, now they might beable to get data in harder tyres now, mercs have the best data on these tyres. bottas had so much life in them at baku the entire first stint same as rb who were putting in FL before the max crash . hopefully its a clean session and ferrari gets good setup and data

[Aberracus]

One of the virtues of SF71H is putting the softer tires in the right window quickly, obviously that’s super good for qualifying and first laps. I’m not sure if it have a cost later on the race.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[F1NAC]

Are we ever gonna see the Hard compounds this season?

Hard tyre is nominated for Silverstone

[chinmay]

Seb just needs to have a clean final sector and then he can maybe fight for pole but pole has proved to be a curse of Seb in recent times. Seb started from pole in Singapore 2017, Mexico 2017, China 2018, Baku 2018 and all lost all these races and almost lost Bahrain 2018 as well.

Kimi for the pole and Vettel for the win!

[Brembo]

Kimi for pole ! Seb for win??? A podium spot for Seb ok.