Skip to main content

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Autosport Plus

Discover premium content
Subscribe

Recommended for you

LIVE: F1 Hungarian GP updates - Norris overhauls Hamilton to pole as Verstappen spins

Formula 1
Hungarian GP
LIVE: F1 Hungarian GP updates - Norris overhauls Hamilton to pole as Verstappen spins

BTCC Thruxton: Cook rustles up a tasty qualifying race win

BTCC
Thruxton
BTCC Thruxton: Cook rustles up a tasty qualifying race win

DS Penske shows potential in Formula E Tokyo opener

Formula E
Tokyo ePrix I
DS Penske shows potential in Formula E Tokyo opener

DTM Oschersleben: Preining wins, Thiim loses points lead to Engel

DTM
Oschersleben
DTM Oschersleben: Preining wins, Thiim loses points lead to Engel

Formula E Tokyo E-Prix: Ticktum pulls off last-lap overtake on Dennis for victory

Formula E
Tokyo ePrix I
Formula E Tokyo E-Prix: Ticktum pulls off last-lap overtake on Dennis for victory

F1 Hungarian GP: Norris beats Hamilton to top final practice

Formula 1
Hungarian GP
F1 Hungarian GP: Norris beats Hamilton to top final practice

BTCC Thruxton: Proctor substitutes for unwell Osborne, Smiley tops practice

BTCC
Thruxton
BTCC Thruxton: Proctor substitutes for unwell Osborne, Smiley tops practice

LIVE: F1 Hungarian GP updates - Norris beats Hamilton to top FP3 after red flag for Perez stoppage

Formula 1
Hungarian GP
LIVE: F1 Hungarian GP updates - Norris beats Hamilton to top FP3 after red flag for Perez stoppage

F1 tyre improvements promised after poor Singapore Grand Prix

Pirelli has promised to learn lessons from the Singapore Grand Prix and try solutions to prevent Formula 1 races being ruined by excessive tyre saving in 2019

Although the choice of the hypersoft for Singapore helped produce record-breaking qualifying laps, in the race the pace dropped off dramatically as drivers tried to look after their rubber.

Drivers were lapping more than 10 seconds slower than they had in qualifying, and it was hard for cars to properly battle each other without risk of tyres overheating.

Pirelli motorsport racing manager Mario Isola admitted things needed to change.

"This is something we should discuss because with experience and all the data that has been collected this year, we now have a better picture of the approach of the teams," said Isola, when asked by Autosport about the situation.

"It is good to understand which is the right direction for the future.

"These are all considerations that must help us to understand and to improve the situation for next year.

"I don't have a solution right now but it is important we learn from what happened, not just go ahead without looking behind."

Isola said Pirelli was constantly having to balance the benefits of bringing softer tyres to boost performance and open up strategy options, against the potential for drivers to then end up going slowly to reduce degradation.

"We need to analyse carefully the data because the risk is that we go softer and softer, we have tyres with more degradation, and the only result is that we have more management," he said. "It is something we need to evaluate.

"This year we were quite aggressive with the hypersoft, and we have been aggressive at other circuits, and we have seen that sometimes there is a race pace that was not at the right level because they [the drivers] had to manage the degradation."

F1 race director Charlie Whiting said the FIA was likely to get involved in the discussion, although he acknowledged the situation was very complicated.

"It is a huge subject really that one," said Whiting.

"You want tyres to be quick, you want the ultimate performance, but it depends on the track surface a lot as well.

"It is a very complex subject. We have to try to discuss this with Pirelli, we have to try to work out what the best track surfaces are for racing and for tyres, and try to suit the tyres to the tracks.

"But it is very, very hard."

Previous article Hamilton already pushing for Mercedes 2019 parts before end of year
Next article Honda F1 budget much bigger than Renault's - Max Verstappen

Top Comments