Components 1 groups and tyre provider Pirelli have arrived at this weekend’s Brazilian Grand Prix braced for a extra unpredictable weekend than regular.
Whereas the monitor format itself is unchanged from earlier years, what’s completely different is the asphalt – which has been utterly resurfaced since final yr’s occasion.
Newly laid tracks add an enormous diploma of uncertainty at grands prix, as groups are by no means certain concerning the impression it will possibly have on grip ranges.
At some venues previously – maybe most famously Turkey in 2020 – if the monitor has not been handled correctly then it will possibly set off an enormous drop in grip and trigger big complications for drivers and groups.
On the different finish of the spectrum, a brand new floor that provides some first rate grip however has not been rubbered in may end up in automobiles sliding a bit extra, which has a unfavourable impression on tyre degradation.
What Brazil will ship is tough to make certain of proper now, with the ultimate reply solely coming from the primary apply session when drivers get to expire on monitor for the primary time.
As Alpine’s Esteban Ocon stated: “This weekend there’s new challenges forward, a variety of unknowns for everybody, taking a look at how the tarmac is and the degradation. How it may be and the grip stage? We do not know.”
Units of Medium and Arduous Pirelli tyres utilized by McLaren
Picture by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Photographs
What the primary knowledge says
There are some early indicators although of what to anticipate – and it factors in direction of an particularly thrilling F1 weekend.
Early evaluation from Pirelli’s engineers of the Brazil floor reveals that there aren’t any main alarm bells ringing over the grip on provide.
Motorsport.com has discovered that the micro-roughness of the Interlagos floor reveals a 46% drop in comparison with final yr, with macro roughness indicating a 30% drop.
That may level in direction of the monitor in idea providing much less grip than final yr, which may end in extra sliding and due to this fact greater tyre temperatures and extra degradation.
However a deeper dive into the general grip ranges, primarily based on the chemical adhesion interplay of the monitor/tyre, has proven that the state of affairs is just not truly too completely different to earlier years.
Brazil has historically not been a venue that provides a variety of grip, and among the knowledge collected forward of the weekend means that some corners may very well be an enchancment on earlier than.
George Russell, Mercedes F1 W14, Sergio Perez, Purple Bull Racing RB19, Lance Stroll, Aston Martin AMR23
Picture by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Photographs
The darker floor
This primary snapshot of knowledge factors then in direction of the brand new floor perhaps not resulting in a dramatically completely different weekend.
Nevertheless, there’s one other fascinating component that has popped up and will even have the most important impression on how issues end up – and that’s the color of the brand new asphalt.
The brand new floor may be very black, and which means that it’ll soak up the solar’s temperature way more than the previous washed-out gray floor that was used up till final yr.
Pirelli’s first evaluation of the variation in temperature of the monitor floor has already pointed to issues being fairly dramatic – and the early afternoon on Thursday had already registered it nudging in direction of 60C.
Greater monitor temps have a direct impression on tyres temperatures, and will help amplify any thermal degradation – which is all the time an element across the Interlagos monitor due to its format.
The upper temps may then pressure groups to shift in direction of the tougher compounds for each the dash and the grand prix, however this alternative is barely difficult by the alternatives on provide this weekend.
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes F1 W14, leads Valtteri Bottas, Alfa Romeo C43
Picture by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Photographs
Initially, Pirelli has opted to shift its compounds one step softer than final yr, so the 2023 gentle is the 2024 medium.
Then secondly, with Brazil being a dash weekend, the tyre allocation is completely different – with two units of hards, 4 units of mediums and 6 units of softs out there.
The chances are high that the 2024 gentle is just not going to be an appropriate race tyre – so is barely actually good for qualifying.
That then means groups are going to should handle very rigorously how they distribute their tyres throughout the dash and the principle grand prix – understanding full effectively that they can not compromise what they want for Sunday.
What groups might want to perceive shortly from apply is that if the medium goes to carry on sufficient for the 24 laps of the dash. Final yr that tyre (which was the gentle in 2023) did cope – but when degradation is worse this time round it may make issues tough.
If the medium is not adequate, then that might make life extraordinarily difficult for the race that’s usually a two-stopper.
If groups must run the onerous within the dash, then that would go away them quick for the grand prix – so Saturday might be particularly intriguing.
What this all means is an particularly difficult race weekend and one the place rain may but throw additional uncertainty into the combination.
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