Addressing fears of high tire degradation following the Jerez group test, the Pirelli man insisted that his company is on the right track with the development of their 2011 compound. Which means the F1 drivers should get used to this type of tire wear and adjust their driving technique accordingly.
“The teams are going from a situation where they could probably do 50-60 laps on one set of tires. But if we did that we wouldn't have any strategy,” admitted Hembery, according to Autosport. “We are trying to find the fine balance between longevity and forcing teams to make tire changes.”
“It's in line with what we were planning. It's actually a very complex thing to do. If you make a tire that lasts too long, the teams will do one tire change, which is what they have done in the past. To get away from that, you've got to almost force them to a point where the main choice of tire can last around 100-110km in a race, considering that most races are between 300-320km.”
However, he insisted that fans will not witness 4-pit stop races in 2011, as he projects the compounds chosen for each weekend will enable the teams to do regular 2-pit stop races. However, it will all depend on the way drivers will tackle the first few laps of each race, as Hembery reckoned tire management will become one decisive aspect of F1 racing this season.
“The one thing we have noticed is that drivers that look after their tires for the first four to five laps, it can have quite a significant impact on the longevity of the product,” he added.
The current difference between the super soft and hard compounds provided by Pirelli is close to 3 full seconds, mentioning that the former currently lasts for only a few laps. For the first 4 rounds of the 2011 season, Pirelli seems to have already agreed on the hard/medium compound combination.
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