Spanish Grand Prix 2012, Catalunya - Race 5/20

non of the new people to f1 mind them either but its all they have known.

lotus dont seem to have any issues with the tyres and kimi has probably forgotten what it was like prior to this year i expect in a different car he would have a different opinion
 
arknor said:
non of the new people to f1 mind them either but its all they have known.

lotus dont seem to have any issues with the tyres and kimi has probably forgotten what it was like prior to this year i expect in a different car he would have a different opinion
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If what you say is true - doesn't that kind of prove the point that the problem isn't the tyres?

ie Lotus don't have a problem with them - so therefore there isn't a problem with the tyres as such, simply the other teams haven't got their cars right for them (its only a matter of time before they do and things settle down)

The new drivers don't have a problem with them, therefore its more that the drivers who were used to the previous tyres are set in their ways or haven't been able to adapt quick enough. Again that would mean its not a tyre issue as such.
 
It all comes down to a team's inability to predict how quickly the tyre will wear. Even Lotus aren't sure (in the last race, the pitted a few laps too late, as they wanted to play safe).
 
sunama said:
It all comes down to a team's inability to predict how quickly the tyre will wear. Even Lotus aren't sure (in the last race, the pitted a few laps too late, as they wanted to play safe).
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Even if the teams nail how the tyres will behave it doesn't change the fact that drivers are going around the track in a tip toe fashion to preserve them, figuring the tyres out won't magically make them wear any less when pushed.

Perhaps the teams haven't figured the tyres out because Pirelli (at the FIA's request) keep changing the compound race to race? it keeps it 'unpredictable and exciting' doesn't it?

The whole concept behind F1 is the best of motorsport technology and the best drivers, having junk tyres that perform like they did back in the 1960's is not F1 and neither is drivers cruising around.

If all we really care about is entertainment then why not just race in touring cars? those races are extremely fun and with lots of wheel to wheel racing and overtakes.
 
Made me lol :D

SPAD_McLarenAutocentres2.jpg
 
mmj_uk said:
Even if the teams nail how the tyres will behave it doesn't change the fact that drivers are going around the track in a tip toe fashion to preserve them, figuring the tyres out won't magically make them wear any less when pushed..
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If the teams get on top of the tyre behaviour thats exactly what WILL happen - ie less wear when pushed.

mmj_uk said:
The whole concept behind F1 is the best of motorsport technology and the best drivers, having junk tyres that perform like they did back in the 1960's is not F1 and neither is drivers cruising around.
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You can argue that about so many apspects of modern F1. The regulation changes to specify smaller engines, smaller wings, flat bottom, narrow track, narrow tyres, grooved tyres, engines that last multiple races etc etc all "artificially" slow down the cars.
It has to be done however to keep the cars to meet the safety expectations of modern F1 and the physical limits of a human driving the cars. I don't see how specifying a less optimal compound of tyre than is technically possible is any different to any of the other artificial limitations above. It was no different when Michelin left and bridgestone became the only supplier - the tyres were not the ultimate tyres in terms of performance that Bridgestone could produce. In actual fact it was perhaps more "artificial" as drivers had tyres that were exceptionally durable - something that was never a feature of the majority of F1's history.

mmj_uk said:
If all we really care about is entertainment then why not just race in touring cars? those races are extremely fun and with lots of wheel to wheel racing and overtakes.
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As with everything in life there is a balance to be had. If nothing was done, aero regs were left the same with refuelling and excessively durable tyres we would have exceptionally processional racing with the only hope of an overtake being done in the pits.
For me the key thing to preserve in F1 is a balance in which a drivers skill can make the difference. In respect to the tyres - all of the drivers have exactly the same, however they are currently tricky to use optimally over a race distance. The result of this - the best drivers really can make a difference over the racing season ... thus in my eyes we have better racing with nothing artificial about it.

Modern touring cars are barely better than bumper car racing at times! I'd much rather watch the finesse and skill required to extract the best race from a modern F1 car on Pirelli tyres. Artificial would be weight penalties for winning as you see in many touring car series.
 
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