DVB wrote: ↑09 May 2017, 08:16
f1316 wrote: ↑07 May 2017, 22:43
Here's something I don't fully get: Ferrari's tyre useage in quali.
They always do:
1. Q1 on the middle compound tyre
2. Two runs in Q2 on the softer compound
Ok, I get the first part - why use up your fastest tyre if you don't need to. But why throw that tyre saved away when you don't need to? They're almost always completely safe into Q3 by this point, and yet they do it every single race.
I can only think it's something to do with preparing race tyres - although I still don't get why. They can do one run and still go easy on the tyres, with a comfortable margin to everyone bar Mercedes. So what does the second run achieve?
I get that most of the time this year it's going to be a one stop, but in China, for example, they really would have benefited from that extra set of new SS in the race but they didn't have them because they threw them away in Q2. And you never know, right? Why not have that set of tyres in your pocket, given you've gone to the effort of doing Q1 on harder tyres.
I just don't get what they're trying to achieve - maybe just an extra practice run before Q3?
It was said by Ferrrari that they are looking for the best tire available. Sometimes tires have a little bit extra in them and they are looking for what's the best one. Vettel aborted a fast lap in Q2 one time and he said the other tires felt better so he wanted to start the race on those.
That's an interesting idea. Might explain why, if he didn't like it as much, Vettel slowed right down at the end of his second Q2 lap in Australia.
Still, as platinumzealot said, I'm not sure I trust anything Ferrari are saying publicly on this.
I think it must be related to tyres in some way - and maybe because last year they had so many problems in Q3 when conditions changed and they suddenly lost the window - but still think there's more than meets the eye here.