Silverstone Tyre Failures Explained: What Will Change For Next Race?
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The first race at Silverstone seemed to be one of those races where nothing exciting would happen after the first few laps, then tyre failures for Mercedes drivers Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton and McLaren’s Carlos Sainz livened up the last few laps of the race. Earlier, Alpha Tauri’s Daniil Kvyat also retired from damage sustained due to a suspected tyre puncture. So, why did so many tyres fail? Pirelli has now answered this question.
I'm your host Dillon Shelley and first up on Formula World:
Silverstone Tyre Failures Explained: What Will Change For Next Race?
Pirelli’s statement began by explaining the specific circumstances that put more stress on the second set of tyres
“The key reason is down to a set of individual race circumstances that led to an extremely long use of the second set of tyres”
“The second safety car period prompted nearly all the teams to anticipate their planned pit stop and so carry out a particularly long final stint: around 40 laps, which is more than three-quarters the total race length on one of the most demanding tracks of the calendar”
They also added that the increased pace of the 2020 cars also played a role as pole position was 1.2 seconds faster compared to 2019
"Combined with the notably increased pace of the 2020 Formula 1 cars, this made the final laps of the British Grand Prix especially tough, as a consequence of the biggest forces ever seen on tyres generated by the fastest Formula 1 cars in history”
They also explained why the front left was the tyre that failed the most
"The overall result was the most challenging operating conditions for tyres. These led to the front-left tyre (which is well-known for working hardest at Silverstone) being placed under maximum stress after a very high number of laps, with the resulting high wear meaning that it was less protected from the extreme forces in play"
Pirelli concluded by revealing the changes for the second race at Silverstone
“For the second race at Silverstone this weekend, Pirelli confirms the nominated compounds: C2, C3, and C4, being one step softer than those seen at the last GP. Also, the usage prescription will be reviewed, increasing the minimum tyre pressures to reduce the stress on the construction"
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Former F1 driver Jolyon Palmer feels that while Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas “needs to show more mettle in combat, he needs some luck as well. Nico Rosberg most definitely had both in 2016 and was rewarded with a title”
Alfa Romeo team principal Frederic Vasseur thinks that “with one more race here in Silverstone” they “will need to comb through the data and find the best way to improve” their “performance for next week”
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff feels that they “could have easily lost two cars out of the points and then the points advantage would have vanished in a second”
He also added that “the championship isn’t over until it is mathematically impossible for anyone else to catch” them “and the race isn’t over until the flag drops”
Former F1 driver turned commentator Martin Brundle pointed out that “it would be easy to suggest that the Mercedes was simply faster and putting its tyres under more load than the rest of the pack, but Carlos Sainz suffered the same gut-wrenching disappointment in his McLaren too”
Representatives from Racing Point, Renault, and Mercedes were called to a meeting with F1 stewards on Wednesday morning to present their respective cases after Renault protested the brake duct design on the RP20
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen feels that maybe they’ll “find a tenth or a tenth and a half. Then” they'll “be a little closer” to Mercedes “but not close enough”
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc said that he grew up karting against the likes of Max Verstappen, “Russell, Ocon, Gasly and Albon”
He also added that when he and Max Verstappen “were young” they “really hated each other. Luckily” they “both grew up and became more mature”
A spokesperson for the Silverstone circuit has revealed that they have “added a 23 metre section at the exit of turn 13” “to help drivers follow the track limits”
Mercedes strategist James Vowles has stated that the “DAS didn't affect the punctures. Simply because” they “only used the system in the early stages of the race”
He also added that “looking back at the situation” they “should have given Lewis new tyres”
Will we see another tyre drama in the second race at Silverstone?