Latest news with #MarioIsola
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
The challenges Pirelli faces developing all-new 2026 F1 tyres
The 2026 revolution in Formula 1 doesn't just involve new cars and a different engine formula. It also includes an entirely new generation of tyres - an element that plays a crucial role in modern F1. Initially, the FIA wanted to switch to 16-inch for 2026 to reduce weight, but sole tyre supplier Pirelli opposed this for several reasons, including road relevance. As a result, F1 will stick with 18-inch tyres, but the new wheels will be narrower and have a slightly smaller diameter as well, which should still contribute to weight savings in 2026. Mule cars not fully representative of F1 2026 machinery Next year's tyres will feature an all-new construction and new compounds. Extensive testing is in full swing, most recently with Aston Martin and Sauber at Silverstone. However, it's a complicated process, as Pirelli can't test its new tyres on 2026-spec cars and has to rely on 'mule cars' - modified cars under the current set of regulations that are adapted to simulate the 2026 characteristics. Pirelli admits they are not truly representative of next year, and as such, developing the new 2026 tyres is to some extent a leap into the unknown. Gabriel Bortoleto, Sauber, Pirelli test Silverstone 'I'm satisfied with the development so far, but of course, there are a lot of question marks,' Mario Isola, head of Pirelli Motorsport, told 'First of all, that's related to the car. We are using mule cars. Teams are doing a good job in trying to give us a car that is as representative as possible, but they are still current cars. 'It means they are cars with a different aero package and a different level of downforce as well. Actually, we estimate that the downforce they are generating is higher compared to what we'll have next year. 'This means that it's a bit difficult for us to have a range of compounds that is perfectly centred across the performance of the car. 'If the car is stressing the tyres more or less compared to what you expect, then of course there's a risk to go too aggressive or too conservative with the tyres, because you don't have a clear idea on what you will find in 2026.' Still, Isola sees reason for optimism based on past experience: 'In 2021, when we were developing the 18-inch tyre, and it was working quite well in 2022. Mario Isola, Racing Manager, Pirelli Motorsport, on the grid 'During the first year with the new cars, we didn't find any major changes that were needed on the tyres.' 'Obviously, fine-tunings are always necessary, so I'm still expecting a tyre in 2027 that is different from the one in 2026,' added Isola, expecting there to be a better understanding of the new regulations once they are in effect for a year. A calculated guess for 2026? Until then, Pirelli must to some extent make a calculated guess based on various parameters and sources of information that it can look it. The mule cars are one of them, but can't be trusted as an absolute benchmark. 'We cannot just rely on our tests with the mule cars,' added Isola. 'We need to cross all the information that is coming from the track with simulations from the teams, what their simulators say about 2026, our virtual model and a thermomechanical model of the tyres. 'So, it's quite a lot of work together with our modelling department, R&D, the testing department, material department and many more elements. 'We've also found differences between the mule cars, each team is preparing a mule car in a different way.' Lando Norris, McLaren during Pirelli test To simulate the reduced downforce levels of 2026, teams run significantly less wing than they normally would on a given track - but that's not the only adjustment for the tests. 'No, it's not just about the wings,' said Isola, 'because they have to change the ride height as well, given the new tyres are lower in diameter. 'So, they made some modifications to the cars that are allowed by the FIA in order to give us the most representative mule cars. 'But as I said, we still found differences across the teams. It's useful for us to test with all the teams to get a complete picture and also to get a good idea about the differences across all mule cars. 'But to return to your initial question: overall, we're quite happy with the progress, and we believe that we can have a well-balanced product in 2026.' Testing of the 2026 tyres will continue on 5-6 August at the Hungaroring, followed by additional sessions in Monza, Mugello, and Mexico City. To read more articles visit our website.
Daily Mirror
23-06-2025
- Automotive
- Daily Mirror
British Grand Prix shake-up confirmed in bid to spice up Silverstone F1 race
Formula 1's tyre supplier, Pirelli, is spicing things up for the British Grand Prix by making a subtle but potentially crucial change. F1 returns to the United Kingdom next month, with the race at the iconic Silverstone circuit taking place on Sunday, July 6. Fans were treated to Lewis Hamilton's emotional win last year and the track is always good for a dose of drama. Now the British GP is getting some special treatment which is intended to add to the excitement. In 2025, there's been a growing trend of teams attempting to use the one-stop strategy. The FIA even enforced a mandatory second pit stop for last month's Monaco Grand Prix in an effort to make the race more exciting, a decision which resulted in mixed reviews. While there'll be no such rule change at Silverstone, Pirelli have stepped in to shake things up - and it's all to do with their tyre allocations. F1's rulebook requires drivers to use at least two different dry tyre compounds during a race - whether it be soft, medium or hard. The rule is only voided if a race to deemed too wet. For the British GP, drivers will be forced to select between the C2 hard, C3 medium and C4 soft tyres across qualifying on the Saturday and Sunday's race. That's softer than ever before at Silverstone, with increased tyre degradation likely encouraging teams to make more than one pit stop. This usually leads to more overtaking and wheel-to-wheel action as well as giving strategists a headache. For the following Grand Prix in Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium on July 27 - also a Sprint race weekend - Pirelli has elected to introduce a gap in its tyre selection by using the C1 hard, C3 medium and C4 soft. The thinking behind skipping a compound change is that it'll make the hardest tyre considerably slower compared to the other options. Pirelli's motorsport director, Mario Isola, recently explained: "If you want to go one stop hard/medium, you are penalised by the fact that hard is much slower. So someone could choose a more aggressive strategy with mediums and soft for the race." For the two races either side of Britain and Belgium - this weekend's Austrian Grand Prix and August's Hungarian GP - the C3, C4 and C5 compounds will be used. There is one even softer compound, the C6, but it's thought not to be viable for those circuits. McLaren star Oscar Piastri currently leads the Drivers' Championship with 198 points after 10 Grands Prix and two Sprint races. Team-mate Lando Norris is closely behind on 176 points, with four-in-a-row world champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull sitting in third place with just over half of the season remaining. Formula 1 fans can watch every practice, qualifying and race live with Sky's new Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle in a new deal that saves £192. As well as Sky Sports access, this includes more than 100 TV channels and free subscriptions to Netflix and Discovery+.
Yahoo
01-06-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Strategy Corner: Why Charles Leclerc's extra set of mediums could be an F1 Spanish GP wild card
The Spanish Grand Prix used to be a byword for dull, processional racing, but that has changed – if only a little – in recent years. That's because while the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya is a known quantity, having been on the calendar since 1991, it's slightly less intensively known than it used to be, since it's no longer used as a venue for pre-season testing. The drivers could still lap it while blindfolded but the teams have rather less data than they would otherwise on tyre usage. Advertisement Another small but significant facet affecting strategy this weekend is the enforcement of a new technical directive clamping down on aero-elastic front wings through more stringent static load tests. So-called flexi-wings theoretically reduced drag, thereby improving top speed, but this was a lower-order effect. The main benefit was in mitigating some of the more severe balance shifts the current generation of ground-effect cars tend to experience mid-corner, generally moving from oversteer to understeer. Read Also: Why F1 flexi-wing changes failed to shake up the Spanish GP order Besides a small potential lap time gain through giving drivers more confidence in corners, the main benefit was to help with tyre degradation. That's why, given the lack of representative running time in race conditions, the response in the paddock to the effect of the new testing regime so far has been a general shrug of the shoulders. Advertisement As Pirelli's motorsport manager Mario Isola pointed out in his post-qualifying briefing, the average cornering loads are higher but the pole position lap was slower… if only by two tenths of a second. 'More load that is not translating in more performance,' he said. 'Then if you think about that, you understand what I'm saying…' A little bit of everything Pirelli tyres Pirelli tyres Erik Junius Erik Junius Since Barcelona has a relatively rough surface, a couple of decently long straights, and a broad variety of cornering speeds, plus two DRS zones – one of which includes a right-hand kink over a crest – it's highly demanding on tyres. While Pirelli has gone a step softer in its compound choices at many rounds this year, for Barcelona it has stuck with the hardest three in the family: C1, C2, C3. Advertisement Even so, the race is shaping up to be a two-stopper because the experience of practice has shown that the hard-compound tyre, the C1, isn't producing enough grip, so the cars have been sliding and inducing early degradation. It's also been difficult for teams to find a balance on the C1, so they have migrated towards the softer compounds, which makes a two-stop race more likely. The reason balance is such an issue is that teams generally set up their cars with a tendency to understeer in order to protect the rear tyres, which are usually more sensitive to thermal degradation. In Barcelona this presents a problem because the roughness of the surface, in combination with the high g-loadings from the fast corners, puts high stresses through the outside shoulder of the front-left tyre. So the teams are having to navigate the best compromise between wear at the front and degradation on both axles. 'Teams are trying to protect the rear axle, but then they over push the front and they can lose performance from both the axles basically,' said Pirelli chief engineer Simone Berra after Friday practice. 'We've seen that the C1 showed very low grip, so it's sliding. Also the balance is not good, it's disconnected, front and rear axle very disconnected, so you have mid-corner understeer, especially in low-speed corners, then you have rear axle sliding in high-speed corners with low support. Advertisement 'So basically teams with the C1 are struggling a little bit more to find a good compromise and a good balance. Also we've seen this on pace data for the C1, and that's why most of the teams focused on C2 and C3 in FP2 for the long runs, with better track conditions because of the track evolution, try to see where is the limit for the C2 and the C3 in terms of degradation. 'The degradation level is very similar between C2 and C3, you can apply different levels of management, but the pace is pretty similar. C3 has a higher grip level but a slightly higher degradation, C2 is slightly more consistent but lower level of grip. In the end they are quite close. 'So we do think that both the compounds will be good for the race.' How many stops, and when? Oscar Piastri, McLaren Oscar Piastri, McLaren Steven Tee / LAT Images via Getty Images Steven Tee / LAT Images via Getty Images Advertisement Last year all but one driver did two stops; Yuki Tsunoda and Sergio Perez were the outliers, doing three. The most popular strategy among the frontrunners was soft-medium-soft, with the first stop coming between laps 13 and 17. But this race was shaped by events on the opening lap, where Lando Norris (the polesitter) and Max Verstappen became so consumed with one another that George Russell nipped around the outside from fourth on the grid to seize the lead. This year the frontrunners only have one set of new soft tyres left – which they will likely use for the opening stint, because track position remains king at this circuit, and a good start is important. The first pitstop window will be as the race enters the early teens in terms of lap count; anyone stopping before it reaches double figures is in trouble, all other factors being equal. What's intriguing is what's happening behind McLaren's Norris and Oscar Piastri, the drivers on the front row. As with last year, one of the occupants of the second row – in this case Verstappen and Russell – could take advantage of those in front trying not to trip over one another. Although Russell's lead only lasted until the DRS was activated last year, the leading cars are closer together in terms of pace now. Advertisement Ferrari's Charles Leclerc is something of a wild card. He will start seventh, behind team-mate Lewis Hamilton, having run out of new softs in qualifying. But he has two sets of fresh mediums, which could come into play as those in front go soft-medium-soft, running used softs in the final stint. It's also possible that as the track continues to evolve and more rubber is laid down, the hitherto unfancied hard-compound tyre could also become a viable option in preference to the used soft. Pole sitter Oscar Piastri, McLaren, Lando Norris, McLaren, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing Pole sitter Oscar Piastri, McLaren, Lando Norris, McLaren, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images via Getty Images Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images via Getty Images Advertisement 'On paper,' said Isola, 'If I have only one set of hard, one set of medium, and the soft is degrading more than expected, ideally, you should do soft, hard, medium. 'Because the fuel load is higher in the middle of the race compared to the end of the race. So you save a little bit of the medium. 'But I heard some comments around that it is also possible to have soft, medium, hard. Because they believe that the track evolution is important and with a better track at the end of the race, the hard is sliding less, and so giving a better performance. 'Who is right? I don't know. But this is the idea.' What if it rains? The Jetstream is going to have to undergo a tumultuous change of direction overnight if the Spanish GP is to be affected by rain. Indeed, wet races at this venue are a distinct rarity. Advertisement It was gloomy, overcast and humid when the Circuit Barcelona-Catalunya hosted its first round of the world championship in September 1991 – note the vapour trails around the wings of Nigel Mansell's Williams and Ayrton Senna's McLaren in those evocative images of their duel in that race. But warm and sunny weather has predominated since the race moved to a late-spring slot in the calendar. There hasn't been a properly wet grand prix here in almost three decades – but it was a spectacular one. Miichael Schumacher, Ferrari, Gerhard Berger, Benetton Miichael Schumacher, Ferrari, Gerhard Berger, Benetton Motorsport Images Motorsport Images In 1996 the Williams-Renault team had the quickest car on the grid, among the best to have flowed from Adrian Newey's pen – but eventual champion Damon Hill was an early casualty, spinning off after starting from pole position. Advertisement In contrast to the Williams, Ferrari's F310 wasn't designer John Barnard's best work but Michael Schumacher was hitting peak form and drove one of the finest races of his life, humbling the competition to win by 45s from Benetton's Jean Alesi. Read Also: Lewis Hamilton slams F1 Spanish GP flexi-wing changes as "a waste of money" To read more articles visit our website.
