Motorsport Off Topic Thread

Melbourne tyres will be the Soft and Medium, softer and closer between them compared to 2011.

Mebourne will have 2 DRS zones (1 in 2011). Detection1 Entry T14 and Activation1 Exit T16(main straight), Activation2 Exit T2.
 
So they've ditched the must have a step gap between the tyres this year?

Shame. The compounds aren't that different anymore, all are softer and closer together than last year.

Personally, I'd have made the super soft softer, then have a substantial step between each tyre up from that. But the lifespan going proportionally up as well and ditch the run both tyre rules. Ship all compounds and let the teams decide what they want and you'll see some more interesting races.

Also, bring the 1 lap qualifying tyre back. But only 1 set per car. Adds an extra level of strategy to qualifying. Use them to guarantee a place in Q3, or see if you can get through without using them and then go for broke in Q3. Could even throw in a surprise for Q2. :D

But thats an idea from the past, strangely enough... it worked!
 
Flibster said:
So they've ditched the must have a step gap between the tyres this year?

Shame. The compounds aren't that different anymore, all are softer and closer together than last year.

Personally, I'd have made the super soft softer, then have a substantial step between each tyre up from that. But the lifespan going proportionally up as well and ditch the run both tyre rules. Ship all compounds and let the teams decide what they want and you'll see some more interesting races.

Also, bring the 1 lap qualifying tyre back. But only 1 set per car. Adds an extra level of strategy to qualifying. Use them to guarantee a place in Q3, or see if you can get through without using them and then go for broke in Q3. Could even throw in a surprise for Q2. :D

But thats an idea from the past, strangely enough... it worked!
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Big steps don't work as everyone works out very quickly which is the best tyre, and the other tyre is relegated to as few amount of laps as possible and everyone runs the same strategy.

Bringing the tyres closer means it becomes less clear cut between what is the best and worst tyre, with the possibility that different car setups or driving styles alone could change what one driver/team considers better to another.

The difference in tyres needs to be small enough so that over the course of a stint the total time difference is less than a pit stop. Theres no point in running the harder tyre longer to save a pit stop if the time you loose allows the guys infront to take an extra stop using the soft tyre and still remain ahead.

Having gaps of over a second caused this last year. This year Pirelli have aimed for more like 0.5 of a second between compounds.

And as for Quali tyres, while it may work, it wont fit with the FIAs 'green' image, so simply wont happen.
 
Pirelli have said they're interested in doing a qualifying tyre, it just needs the teams and FIA to approve it. it would also require a rewrite of the Parc Fermé rules as starting the race on qualifying tyres wouldn't be so smart. There's an idea! Give 5 points for Pole, 4 for 2dn down to 1 for 5th but make the top five start on ruined qualifying tyres that they would need to change within a couple of laps. Would certainly mix things up a little!

The problem with opening up the tyre requirements is the thinking that everyone would come up with the same optimum strategy, depending on the length of the pit lane and the pit lane speed limit. It could work now the tyres are closer together but would have been unlikely to work last season with the big differences.

One rule for this year that might help see more running on Saturday, if both Friday sessions are declared Wet then a set of tyres can be carried over from Friday to Saturday.
 
For me the bottom line is the teams simply don't have enough tyres. They have less for the whole weekend now than they used to with the much more durable Bridgestones.
 
F1 Racing magazine has emailed its subscribers a questionnaire on whether F1 should be returning to Bahrain.

Its a shame that "no, because the track is ****" isn't an option :D
 
Alex Zanardi has been confirmed as a member of the Italian team for this year's London Paralympics.

The two-time CART champion and former F1 driver, who has spent the past few years competing successfully in marathons and time trials in the handbike class, will be one of 10 athletes to make up Italy's paracycling team.
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http://www.autosport.com/news/grapevine.php/id/98022

I hope he does well. :)
 
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