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The epic, old-school Suzuka
circuit is well-known for being one of the biggest challenges for tyres on
the calendar, thanks to its high-energy loads, yet for the first time
Pirelli isn’t bringing the hardest tyre: instead the nominated compounds are
P Zero White medium, P Zero Yellow soft, and P Zero Red supersoft. These
will have to cope with long and fast corners such as 130R – providing the
longest continuous g-force loading of the year – and Spoon, which put the
tyres under constant stress throughout the lap. With fastest race laps that
have been up to five seconds faster than 2016 so far, another significant
improvement is expected in Suzuka. A wide range of strategy options are
available to find the best compromise between performance and durability.
THE CIRCUIT FROM A TYRE POINT OF VIEW
- Lateral forces through corners are the main feature, rather than traction
and braking.
- Weather, and therefore track temperatures, are quite unpredictable at this
time of year.
- Generally, there are high levels of wear and degradation: two stops was
the winning strategy last year, with varied tactics.
- Teams normally run high downforce: pushing down on the tyres to help
cornering.
- Track is quite narrow, making overtaking tricky, so strategy can make the
difference.
- Track evolution is often hard to predict and safety cars can provide
another variable. |
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MARIO ISOLA - HEAD OF CAR
RACING
“The Japanese Grand Prix continues the trend we’ve seen so far this year of
bringing softer, and therefore faster, tyres to several grands prix compared
to last season. In the case of Suzuka, this is particularly pertinent as
it’s one of the most challenging tracks for tyres of the entire year, with a
very big emphasis on lateral loads that can cause thermal degradation if the
tyres are not properly managed. This is also one of the reasons why the
drivers enjoy Suzuka so much; with the cars travelling a lot faster through
the corners this year under the new regulations with wider tyres, it’s very
possible that we will see another lap record fall and some truly impressive
maximum g-force loadings”.
WHAT’S NEW?
- There are no hard tyres in Japan for the first time.
- The final of the Pirelli-equipped Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup took
place in Barcelona last weekend, with GRT Grasser Racing Team winning the
title for Lamborghini.
- Former F1 driver Erik Comas recently claimed the European Historic Rally
Championship with a Lancia Stratos, running on Pirelli P7 Corsa Classic
tyres.
- McLaren has made the most aggressive tyre selection at Honda’s home race,
choosing more supersoft tyres than any other team. |
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