Formula 1's tyre supplier Pirelli hopes to see more overtaking during the upcoming season. After a major shake-up in the technical regulations for 2017, overtaking dropped by 47% from the season before, with 435 manoeuvres completed throughout the 20 races.
Pirelli itself is introducing two new tyre compounds for the 2018 season, the super hard and the hyper soft. Degradation will be a much more common factor during the races, as compounds are one step softer.
Speaking about his hopes for the approaching season of Formula 1, Pirelli's motorsport head Mario Isola said to RACER: "We have a range now. We are not obliged to go to most of the events with the soft, super and ultra.
"We have a medium compound that is last year's soft, so it's a good compound for many circuits. We have a good range from hard to hypersoft targeting the two stops, and hopefully a bit more overtaking and a bit more degradation, obviously."
Even though there was a significant drop in overtakings, I can't complain. Because it seemed that it was mainly the DRS drive-bys that were eliminated, and I hate those anyway.
I actually thought we saw some pretty spectacular overtakings, because there weren't an easy way out anymore, so to speak.
It would be nice if the cars were able to follow each other a little closer, but that's not really something Pirelli can impact that much.
Agreed, but I am not too hopeful. Pirelli is talking here about increasing degradation which, yes, will increase overtaking, but the worst possible kind of overtaking (yes worse than DRS), overtaking that simply because someone's tyres got shot. Furthermore, it will lead again to drivers having only one chance to try and pass someone because the tyres will die if you try multiple times.
The DRS was IMO perfect in 2017. If its similar during 2018, Im gold. I found there to be more high quality overtakes during 2017, so if we can stick to that but get more of um, I'll be dandy. But Im not too sure, due to the low amount of allocations...And yeah, tyres need to improve.
I would have hoped they could mix it up by a total free choice but I doubt they would take on the logistics cost to have a free choice for all at every race. So Pirelli still dictate the racing not the teams, pity. Maybe we wait and see but for me more degradation means back to drivers not being able push. Same old, same old.
Don't hope. Make some damn tyres that can stand hard racing without disintegrating. Call them whatever the hell you want.
For that to happen, we need better tyres and probably four allocations. The former... Well its Pirelli... I mean they havent exactly excelled once during the recent years, even when the regulations were better. The latter... it aint likely to happen unless they all were to run out of allocations halfway through. F1 need an intervention regarding those regulations, I hate to see her punish herself like that, and her suicidal sadomasochism is starting to hurt everyone around her.
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ajpennypacker
Posts: 2,475
Don't hope. Make some damn tyres that can stand hard racing without disintegrating. Call them whatever the hell you want.