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The free
practice sessions in Barcelona today put the contained wear and degradation
of the 2015 Pirelli Formula One compounds in evidence, underlining the trend
that was initially seen at the Spanish circuit during pre-season testing.
Improvements to the rear tyre structure for 2015 have helped distribute heat
and forces more evenly, limiting wear and degradation despite the fact that
the latest generation of hybrid turbocharged cars are putting out even more
torque than last year.
As a result the front-left tyre was once more the limiting factor during
free practice, held in track temperatures in excess of 50 degrees
centigrade, and this is expected to remain the case for the rest of the
weekend. Last year, the notoriously abrasive Montmelo circuit was
rear-limited, but this trend was already reversed during the pre-season
Barcelona tests in February.
The two hardest tyres in the range, P Zero Orange hard and P Zero White
medium, have been selected for the Spanish Grand Prix, and during the first
free practice session this morning the teams used only the harder compound,
as stipulated by the rules.
They used the medium tyre for the first time during the second session this
afternoon, resulting in lap times that were more than a second faster,
depending on individual teams and set-up. The teams used the second session,
held in temperatures close to 30 degrees centigrade, to assess the behaviour
of both compounds on different fuel loads. This is unlikely to change
significantly between now and Sunday, as Barcelona traditionally has a
relatively low degree of track evolution.
The qualifying simulation was particularly important, as 11 out of the last
13 races in Barcelona have been won from pole position. This makes it the
circuit that has the highest conversion rate of pole positions to victories
– also thanks to a very low incidence of safety cars.
Mercedes dominated both free practice sessions, with Nico Rosberg going
fastest in FP1 on the hard tyre, and then Lewis Hamilton raising the bar on
the faster medium tyre in FP2.
Paul Hembery: “The conditions we had in free practice were quite
different to what we experienced during pre-season testing, with much higher
track and ambient temperatures today, but we have seen the same basic trends
confirmed. The work we carried out on the 2015 rear structure has clearly
paid dividends, with much less wear and degradation seen on the rears
compared to last year, despite higher energy loads. Consequently, we are
probably looking at a two-stop race for the majority of competitors. The
teams know this track so well that the competition is incredibly close. So
it’s obvious that even the smallest advantage when it comes to tyre
management could translate into quite a significant gain on track."
Pirelli facts of the day:
Eight different drivers have won in Spain over the last eight years, which
means that the Spanish Grand Prix is actually much more competitive than
most people think. The only drivers to have won the race twice are Fernando
Alonso (2006, 2013) and Kimi Raikkonen (2005, 2008). Lewis Hamilton, who
went fastest today, has been on the podium for 11 races in a row now: the
longest such run of his career. |
FP1: FP2:
1. Rosberg 1m26.828s Hard 1. Hamilton 1m26.852s Medium new
2. Hamilton 1m26.898s Hard 2. Vettel 1m27.260s Medium new
3. Vettel 1m27.806s Hard 3. Rosberg 1m27.616s Medium new
Tyre statistics of the day:
Hard Medium Intermediate Wet
kms driven * 2973 1615 0 0
sets used overall ** 59 20 0 0
highest number of laps ** 22 25 0 0
* The above number gives the total amount of kilometres
driven in FP1 and FP2 today, all drivers combined.
** Per compound, all drivers combined.
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