Pirelli was surprised by the deterioration of the track condition during qualifying for the sprint…
Simone Berra, Pirelli chief engineer, said: “Friday is always a busy day during the sprint weekend, and the warm weather in Miami, where track temperatures exceeded 55 C, made life even more difficult for the drivers, cars and tires. At the start of the day, track conditions improved rapidly and lap times dropped. There were no signs of granulation.
Qualifying for the sprint was unusual. In the first session the condition of the asphalt continued to improve, and at the end of the second it became clear that the track was getting slower. This phenomenon became even more visible in the final, when the usual improvement in results when switching from Medium to Soft did not occur. In the coming hours we will study all the data to determine the cause.
As for the sprint, it is clear that the Medium tires are best suited for completing 19 laps. However, I do not rule out the use of Soft, as this compound could provide a significant grip advantage in the early laps. With such good results, those starting further out would do well to try this option to evaluate the possibility of using Soft at the start of Sunday’s race.”
Source: F1 News
I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.
