Pirelli tire workers preparing for the Dutch Grand Prix talk about the features of the reconstructed Zandvoort circuit and note one of the main features: profiled corners, i.e. 3rd and 14th. The transverse slope of the track surface there is 19 and 18 degrees respectively, and is steeper than that of the banked oval in Indianapolis.
Because the drivers take these corners at higher speeds, the tires are also subjected to greater loads, so Pirelli transports the hardest rubber compounds to the Dutch circuit: C1 (Hard), C2 (Medium), C3 (Soft).
A very important factor that influences the performance of tires is thermal degradation, but as always its intensity depends largely on the weather. And at the end of August it can be different on the North Sea coast and change during the day. But the average temperature in Zandvoort at this time of year varies from 14 to 20 degrees.
Cool weather also favours the use of the softest tyres: last year Yuki Tsunoda completed 50 laps on soft tyres.
The adhesion of rubber to the road surface can also be indirectly influenced by the wind, which carries sand from adjacent dunes onto the asphalt.
Last year, most drivers started on the softest tyres, with only Lewis Hamilton choosing to run the first part of the race on Mediums. However, rain started soon after the start and everyone switched to intermediate tyres, which had to be reused at the end of the race. Red Bull Racing drivers and Alpine’s Esteban Ocon even tried hard rain tyres.
The changeable weather forced the team mechanics to work hard: 82 pit stops were made during the Dutch Grand Prix. However, if there is no precipitation this time, Pirelli suggests that the distance can be covered with one pit stop.
The Zandvoort circuit is very narrow, there are few straights, they are short, so overtaking is not easy there. If it is warm enough, Hard is the most suitable tire for the race, but if the weather is more like autumn, the use of the softest tires is likely.
The Dutch Grand Prix returned to the championship calendar in 2021, with Max Verstappen winning all three races that have taken place so far. If he succeeds again, he will equal Jim Clark for the number of victories at this circuit: in the 1960s, the legendary Scot climbed to the top step of the podium four times at Zandvoort.
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.
