How did the tyre drama unfold in Qatar?

Pursuing the opening working day at the Qatar Grand Prix on which almost everything appeared ordinary, Formulation 1’s governing overall body the FIA unveiled that the sport’s sole tyre provider Pirelli found basic safety concerns with their items at the Lusail keep track of. F1Technical’s senior author Balázs Szabó experiences on the sudden difficulty.

The Milan-primarily based tyre provider carried out their regular tyre examination immediately after yesterday’s qualifying session, placing emphasis on the tyres that experienced been applied for close to twenty laps. In the course of this procedure, Pirelli’s mechanics lower quite a few tyres in items in purchase to execute in-deep examination and measurements that are not probable by only analyzing the outer area.

Although examining the interior framework of the tyres, Pirelli observed damages concerning the topping compound and the carcass cords. Despite the fact that the damages had been so tiny that they could not be recognized by the bare eye, Pirelli’s Director of Motorsport Mario Isola documented the scenario to FIA’s One Seater Director Nikolas Tombazis.

With no equivalent concerns getting been knowledgeable throughout the 2023 F1 year, Pirelli suspects that the issue is keep track of-unique with the Losail kerbs pinpointed as the key explanation for the concerns. When F1 past frequented Qatar in 2021, quite a few motorists – which include then Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas – endured punctures which had been also place down to the substantial kerbs at the Losail circuit. The substantial pyramid kerbs at Turns twelve/thirteen/fourteen have been highlighted as the most serious components of the keep track of which cars and trucks strike beneath hefty g-loading.

The FIA and Pirelli believe that “a major amount of supplemental laps on these tyres could final result in circumferential hurt of the tyres with subsequent air reduction, and tyres analysed with decrease lap figures confirmed a a great deal-diminished extent of the difficulty.

“This difficulty has possible been induced by the substantial-frequency interference concerning the tyre sidewall and the 50mm ‘pyramid’ kerbs applied thoroughly at this circuit, aggravated by the propensity to experience people kerbs.”

Isola said that the kerbs punish the tyres in a way that is not knowledgeable on any other circuit: “The difficulty is – to give you an [explanation] that is not a good deal technological but possibly clearer – it is like if you consider a hammer with a pyramid at the major, and you strike it versus the sidewall for a hundred periods for every 2nd for a very long time period.

“The compound is the weaker portion. You have the chord of the carcass that is created with textile substance and is a good deal a lot more resistant. So, it is not a issue of tiredness. Exhaustion is when you have the building with tiredness [and] also the chord is afflicted.

“In this scenario, we do not have an difficulty with the building. It is just the simple fact that you have a recurring affect on the sidewall that is impacting the resistance of the compound, localised exactly where you have the chord,” Isola is quoted as expressing by autosport.com.

In advance of the Dash Shootout, the FIA introduced an supplemental exercise session additionally new basic safety steps with even further probable measures introduced if the scenario does not boost on Saturday.

The keep track of boundaries at Turns twelve and thirteen have been revised which prompted the FIA to slot in a 10-moment exercise session in advance of the Dash Shootout to give motorists the prospect of having applied to the new keep track of boundaries.

Right after today’s Dash race, Pirelli will carry out an in depth tyre examination to determine no matter whether even further motion wants to be taken in advance of the Grand Prix.

In the party the issue is however obvious, the FIA will be issuing a directive for Sunday’s Grand Prix, on basic safety grounds. It would necessarily mean that the tyre everyday living parameter will have to not exceed twenty for new tyres applied in the race. This amount would increase to 22 for any applied tyres equipped in the race, to account for in-out laps in qualifying. Also, all motorists will be obliged to execute at the very least 3 tyre-transform pitstops throughout the race.