Pirelli 2011 vs Pirelli 2012

[Speedster]

As I've argued in the race thread of Barcelona already, Maldonado had pace all weekend. Still, in normal circumstances I'm almost sure Lewis would've won the last race, but Maldonado didn't come from nowhere only because of his tyres. He was fast in practice, in Q1-3 on single laps and he was very fast and consistent in the race, compared to Alonso and Kimi, two drivers that also enjoyed a lot of free racing space. Fair play to him and it isn't any more or less a tyre victory because it happened to be a Williams car and driver combination that won the race this weekend.

That said, I'm not sure about the tyres. They are very important and I think, although I'm not decisive on the issue yet, that they are too important as of now. I don't know if its the tyres fault though. It's clear the tyre handling is extremely delicate, so a perfect setup is needed for a consistent race pace.

But aren't the tyres also becoming a lot more important because of the strict regulations this year? One can assume that teams with similar budgets and know-how all know how to make a basic car. For some (Ferrari this year) it might take a bit longer than for others, but they will arrive there or there about. At the moment, there is no way (or teams didn't find a way yet) to develop a competitive edge, so when all cars are roughly the same, we see circumstances dictating race results. Tyres play a role in it, as cars do seem to heat up the tyres in different ways, and the fact that we see such erratic performances from some drivers and such differences among team members (Senna vs Maldonado or Alonso vs Massa, Button who is very fast in some races and dreadful in others) might indicate that it is not the car that makes the difference this year, but the driver. Interestingly, the faster drivers in qualy also seem to be the faster drivers in the race (apart from Williams having a better race car than a qualifying car in general this season and Mercedes vv), indicating that the tyres will last when you treat them right (i.e. by driving fast). It is once they are abused that they are going like crazy, whether it's due to following other cars, dirty air, locking up, lack of balance or most likely a combination.

[ParanoiD]

what are the chances that other motorsports series interested on Pirelli's approach in F1 and adapt similiar tyre condition?

[siskue2005]

zero

[bhall]

C'mon, don't you think these tires would be great at Le Mans?

[elf341]

"It's a bit all over the place at the moment, but they're the same for everybody, and what we're seeing is aerodynamics are far less of a factor than they have been historically. I'm struggling to explain it, as you can see."

There you have it. I wouldn't be surprised if Red Bull continue to have non-winning races that people like Adrian Newey might pipe up and complain. After all, Red Bull are purported to be one of the most aero efficient cars out there, and certainly Adrian is known for his love of aero as a differentiator.

In a way, Ferrari have gotten their wish because I would guess that figuring out the complete solution for the tyres is largely a mechanical problem more than anything.

[BreezyRacer]

These tires are killing F1

[siskue2005]

C'mon, don't you think these tires would be great at Le Mans?

If they do, then i will dust my battered and 3 yr old Chevy Cruze and enter myself in LEmans......Coz who knows i might win the LMP1 group race

There is no use Audi and Pegueot bringing thier prototypes
all that matter will be tyres

[elf341]

Some more interesting quotes:

"I'm sure Williams don't understand why they just won the race here," McLaren's Jenson Button is quoted by the Guardian newspaper.

"It's really quite crazy right now," Vettel, who despite his young age would count himself among F1's currently perplexed purists, told Germany's Auto Motor und Sport.

"What's happening is difficult for us to explain," he added.

http://formula-one.speedtv.com/article/ ... ing-order/

[myurr]

Quotes from two drivers who are under performing this year and have time deficits, at least in qualifying where the tyres have less effect, to their team mates.

[Nando]

Nobody understands the tires. 5 different teams have unlocked them at 5 different tracks at 5 different temperatures.

Seems they all have one piece of the puzzle in their hands

[elf341]

Red Bull have finally piped up with none other than Dietrich Mateschitz voicing concern over the Pirelli lottery:

"F1 is more exciting and more unpredictable than ever before," Mateschitz told AUTOSPORT. "Obviously, caused by the rule changes before the season, the top teams moved closer together. I always had confidence in the potential of our RB8 and I still have, no doubt.
"But everyone has to learn F1 again. It has become a kind of lottery to find out the window in which a tyre works.
"And I do not believe this just happens on purpose to create more overtaking and tension in the races. I suppose no-one really understands these tyres."

Source: http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/99640

[FrukostScones]

These tires are killing F1

2014 rules will kill it. The cars will be 4sec slower due to the lack of power.

[amouzouris]

These tires are killing F1

2014 rules will kill it. The cars will be 4sec slower due to the lack of power.

its not because of lack of power that they will be slower...its because of lack of downforce...downforce will be cut in half...power wise they wont be far away and because of the reduced drag straight line speed will be about the same....not the correct thread to discuss this anyway!

[Nando]

Can´t wait for 2014... some nostalgic racing is coming back i think.

It would be more about the driver then the car.

[myurr]

Red Bull have finally piped up with none other than Dietrich Mateschitz voicing concern over the Pirelli lottery:

"F1 is more exciting and more unpredictable than ever before," Mateschitz told AUTOSPORT. "Obviously, caused by the rule changes before the season, the top teams moved closer together. I always had confidence in the potential of our RB8 and I still have, no doubt.
"But everyone has to learn F1 again. It has become a kind of lottery to find out the window in which a tyre works.
"And I do not believe this just happens on purpose to create more overtaking and tension in the races. I suppose no-one really understands these tyres."

Source: http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/99640

Since when has Red Bull ever made a statement in the best interests of F1, they're probably the most self serving teams on the grid. Probably even more so than Ferrari.

At some point one of the teams is going to demonstrate they've finally got a good handle on the tyres and then all those saying it's just a lottery are going to look pretty silly. The reality is that it's a problem that can and will be solved, some people are just bitching because they're not dominating any more and have to do some work to get back to the front.