Mexico: Pirelli’s Final Opportunity for Tire Adjustments for 2024
A tire test in Mexico presents Pirelli with the final chance to make adjustments to its tires for the upcoming Formula 1 season in 2024. On Friday, drivers at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez will once again test a prototype of a new C4 compound.
The Italian manufacturer has already decided to keep all other compounds unchanged for the following year. Only the C4 might undergo further examination and will have the opportunity during the Mexico training session to demonstrate the value of the new compound.
Pirelli had conducted a similar test with a new C2 compound during the Friday of the Japan weekend last month but determined that it did not represent an improvement.
The decision to carry over unchanged tires from one season to the next is unusual and has only been made between 2020 and 2021 when there were no tire tests due to COVID, and the cars were largely carried over into the following year.
Typically, Pirelli must keep pace with the increasing downforce and essentially estimate where the stresses will lie until the final race of the 2024 season. However, this year, the focus of the tests has been on driving without tire blankets—a move that has now been postponed to at least 2025.
With less effort invested in improving regular tires for the upcoming season, the decision was made to retain the current product and the construction introduced for the first time in Silverstone, which was in itself a byproduct of the tire blanket tests.
However, the option to modify the C4 compound remains open if the test in Mexico proves successful.
“In Mexico, we have a C4 with the idea of having a tire with a broader working window,” says Pirelli manager Mario Isola. “It has the same performance as the current C4, but a wider working range and slightly more mechanical grip, as we experienced some graining with the C4 on some tracks, and we want to reduce that.”
“If the test is successful, the introduction of the C4 for next year is planned. Otherwise, we will stick with the current one,” he clarifies.
Is a tire test in Abu Dhabi even meaningful?
If Pirelli decides to switch to the new C4, the tires will have to be rushed through the system for the Abu Dhabi tire test.
Normally, during this test, teams are acquainted with Pirelli’s latest developments for the upcoming season, but Isola says the test will still be useful, even if they are driving with tires they already know.
“The tires for the Abu Dhabi test are essentially the same as what we have now,” he says. “The difference is that the teams have the opportunity to attach additional sensors to the car to obtain data that is also important for us. They are also required to share the data from these additional sensors with Pirelli.”
“For us, it is definitely a useful test to collect data that we don’t usually have during a race weekend because during the race, you cannot attach all these sensors due to weight, and some of them slightly disrupt the aerodynamics and so on.”
“It’s a useful test for the teams, so it’s also useful for us, and it’s also an opportunity for the young drivers of the second car to drive in Abu Dhabi,” the Italian adds.
Isola remains confident that the current construction will be able to withstand the increased stresses until the end of 2024. “If you look at the simulation we have received, yes,” he says. “But we know that [the teams], for example, were able to achieve a higher level of performance or higher downforce this year than in the simulation at the beginning of the year.”
“So, if I look at the simulations we received in June, we can manage this stress with the current construction,” Isola concludes. “We will receive new simulations in early December and will naturally analyze them, as they are likely to be more accurate than those from June.”
New Intermediates Still in the Plan
Pirelli also still has the option to introduce revised wet-weather tires and intermediates during the 2024 season, as was the case this year when a rain tire was first used in Monaco without tire blankets.
“We are looking for tracks where we can test rain tires and intermediates,” says Isola. “Because the goal is to have a rain tire with better performance to have a better overlap with the intermediate, and perhaps an intermediate that works without tire blankets as early as 2024.”
Pirelli Continues to Plan with New Intermediates
However, this is unlikely to be the case at the start of the 2024 season, “because with the calendar we have next year, the first tires for Japan, China, and Australia need to be delivered very early, so we don’t have the possibility to change them at the beginning of the season,” Isola explains.
“But if we find a better tire for 2024, we will discuss with the teams, the FIA, and Formula 1 the possibility of introducing these tires during the season.”
Investigations into Qatar ongoing
In the meantime, Pirelli continues its investigations into the curb-related damages that occurred during the Qatar Grand Prix.
“What I can say is that we are now testing several tires under different conditions to understand the extent of the damage,” he explains. “When we look at the microscopic analysis, we can confirm that we had some damages after the race that align with the observations from the sprint. So, it was there.”
“But we also had the opportunity to conduct some specific tests to understand the remaining life. The remaining life is based on a normal track, not a track with curbs, but the tires had some remaining life.”
“This means that the distance of 18 laps, in my opinion, was the right decision as it included a safety margin. That was exactly what we wanted to see.”
Isola states that Pirelli doesn’t have concrete answers yet: “It’s still a bit early to draw a conclusion because some of the tests still need some time to be properly conducted, and then we will compile a report.”
“I have already had some meetings with the FIA to understand how to manage this flow of information from the beginning.”
“I think it’s quite positive; we have some ideas. We are more than willing to support any analysis on the geometry of the curbs or the impacts of the curbs on the tires and such because we know that a racetrack is not designed just for Formula 1 but also for motorcycles, GT cars, other single-seaters, and many, many other championships,” says Isola.
“So, it’s not easy to find a compromise that satisfies everyone. But I believe we have to tackle this task together.“
