Pirelli 2013

[Nando]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84yrFfF9wEY[/youtube]

[dren]

I actually like the strategy. There is a lot of passing, especially towards the end.

[rscsr]

The best car is the one that goes the necessary distance as fast as possible with the available tires (as it is with the available fuel, oil, construction materials, etc). It has always been like that.
If doing that requires a whiff less downforce, it requires a whiff less downforce.

In the 50s the key element was engine power, in the 60s was low drag and agility, in the 70s it became downforce, in the 80s engines again, in 2003-2005 it was tires (in particular their brand), and now it is probably turning towards efficiency.

Different ≠ Worse.

what you don't seem to understand is that none of those things in those times stopped the driver from going as fast as he possibly could with the machinery he had.

These tyres do. They completely stop the core skill required from a racing driver.
It is now 100% entirely down to an engineer dictating how fast the driver can go to manage the tyres.
It is also entirely now down to random ambient temperatures. Just look at Kimi today compared to last week.

There has been nothing in the past like this before. It has been artificially created to 'make the show better'. But as Webber says, I am clearly one of those people who have more grasp and education on the sport. His words, not mine.

Well, not really. If you are using an engine at it's maximum performance you'd kill it in less than a lap. If you are using to much fuel, not to finish the race, then the fuel is to blame?

Aren't the races much more interesting since Pirelli is the sole supplier? I can remember many races before Pirelli, where I fell asleep at lap 20 or so and woke up at the finish and I missed no Position change. So I like it really more, although it means that I always watch the races with the live timing on, because the timing and position table on TV is really awfull to understand what's going on.

[ForMuLaOne]

It is this:

We have a tire which offers an advantage when you drive slower with it in order to preserve it. If you push too hard, you need one more stop which is harmful as the tyres do not deliver enough performance to ensure a gap that will be high enough for making an additional stop. So we are limited in the wrong way. You could easily build a tire that can be pushed and then offers enough gain in laptime for an amount of laps you need to run in order to achieve a gap for one more stop. The effect on overtaking was the same, but drivers would push the cars like hell (hamilton, vetted), or, if it fits better to theyr car and driving style (button, perez) drive slower and get the reward later. Now everyone has to drive at 80 percent, and differences between drivers become egalized.

[WhiteBlue]

I find those artificially wearing tyres silly and dangerous because they shed too much marbles which makes it more difficult or dangerous to do a conventional passing manoeuvre. Beside being too much biased towards tyre management and conservation of course. That isn't good either.

[strad]

I find those artificially wearing tyres silly and dangerous because they shed too much marbles which makes it more difficult or dangerous to do a conventional passing manoeuvre. Beside being too much biased towards tyre management and conservation of course. That isn't good either.

Absolutely 100% correct...and you know how often I agree with W/B.

[godlameroso]

According to Pirelli this year's medium is more like last year's soft tire. This year's soft tire has also been made more durable by giving it a higher working range as well as being softer than last year's tire. Basically meaning the Soft and Medium have essentially the same grip levels but different hardness and working ranges. Whereas the Medium is harder(but with the same grip as last year's soft) it has a lower working range thus gets up to temperature quicker, good for finesse drivers (Button). The soft has a higher working range and has more grip, and wants to be abused to get the performance but wears because of it's softness. The two tires may be very similar in overall performance but go about it in different ways.

At least that's what I was led to believe in Malaysia.

[Steven]

James Allison of Lotus mentioned this: "The tyres are just one step softer all round than last year and the new construction makes it harder to access the rubber on the inner corner of the tyre. In other words, the available rubber is reduced as it’s very tricky to get the entire width of the tyre in contact with the road. Certain teams are keen for a switch back to last year’s rubber, but teams will always push for what’s in their best interest. We feel the current tyres makes for entertaining racing, but then we would say that as our car tends to prosper when the tyres are tender."
http://www.f1technical.net/news/18290

This probably is also a hint as to why Mercedes' FRIC is working so well, as the team are able to keep the car more balanced and possibly able to better work the inside tyres.

[DaveW]

... as the team are able to keep the car more balanced and possibly able to better work the inside tyres.

Possibly, also, an injection of thoughts & ideas following a migration of personnel from Enstone to Brackley.

[fiohaa]

OOOH another exciting race lined up!
wonder how long the tyres will last on each car?!
maybe mercedes can make them last and go for the win!
or maybe ambient temperature will change on sunday suddenly and renault will magically be back in the frame to win, who knows! thats what makes it so exciting!

all the drivers mean while enjoying it and having a great time. can't wait.

[abw]

I understand why people complain about the tires. These cars, as built, could be driven harder if the drivers didn't have to worry so much about fragile tires. It is certainly exciting to see cars driven up to--and occasionally beyond--the "ragged edge." And it sucks to know that drivers "at the pinnacle of motorsport" are holding back, and not pushing as hard as they could push if they had more robust tires.

At the same time though, I do not understand the complaining about the tires at all. The tires are just another aspect of the formula. An engineering constraint (boundary condition). Every car on the grid could be driven quicker with more rugged tires, sure... and every car would also be quicker with ground-effect skirts, exotic engine alloys/ceramics, moveable aero bits, traction control, double diffusers, big-honking vacuum-suction fans, rocket boosters, you name it.

But nobody is saying, for example, "Formula 1 is stupid because the cars can't have active suspensions. The cars are only being driven to 8/10 of their potential. If they'd just drop the ban on active suspension, the drivers could push a lot harder." (This is a crude, almost-strawman, paraphrase of the argument against the high-degradation Pirellis.) Nobody is saying that about the suspensions, in part, because it is ridiculous. The suspension rules are a constraint. Aware of that constraint, a savvy team designs a car that squeezes a legal suspension for all it's worth. And a driver uses 100% of the suspension's capability, driving it to "the ragged edge." Nobody would say a driver is "holding back" because he didn't take a chicane as fast as he might have gone with computer-controlled suspension. Same should be true for tires.

None of this is to say that the formula should specify these high-degradation tires. Or should compel use of 2 compounds per race. Or should allow Pirelli, rather than each team on its own, to select the tires for a given circuit. These are debates worth having (along with whether the formula should allow ceramic engine parts and other fancy materials, but that's just me).

Also .... and here my comment devolves from preachy/whiny complaining into full-blown rant ... I think it was a bad move for Pirelli to change the compounds for 2013. The teams took awhile to get used to them in 2012. Pirelli should have left things as they were and let the teams benefit from all of last year's data. And given all the other changes on the horizon for 2014, I hope to hell that Pirelli doesn't change the compounds yet again next year.

[bhall]

Bold prediction: the 2013 Chinese Grand Prix will be a tire farce.

[Dragonfly]

I find myself hoping for a farce so that finally someone feels the need to act and bring some changes to stop the ever degrading quality of racing.

[Cam]

Bold prediction: the 2013 Chinese Grand Prix will be a tire farce.

I thought the no action on track in qualifying was awesome. Seeing the 3xWDC not even set a time was, gob smacking. I was watching tv with someone who is trying to get into the sport and they kept asking why no cars were running. "It's boring just listening to people and not seeing anything" was the highlight comment. I thought the tires were supposed to spice the show up, not reduce it?

[Jersey Tom]

Junk tires.. a crutch to mix up results.. a crutch now gone rotten and collapsing under the weight of the patient.