Berra: Grip levels are lower than a year ago

According to the results of Friday’s training in Baku, the results of the three fastest riders were within just 0.066 seconds and they represented three different teams, and this can be taken as a sign that the fight promises to be interesting and very exciting.

Pirelli tire specialists, commenting on the training results in their own way, confirmed that the softest C5 rubber compound is not suitable for the race, because it can withstand only a few laps. But even before the start of the weekend they predicted that the optimal choice for the race would be Hard, i.e. C3.

Simone BerraChief Engineer of Pirelli Motorsport: “The results of two hours of practice are difficult to interpret, especially because of the condition of the track. After examining the asphalt surface on Wednesday, it became clear that the grip level was lower than last year, and also in different parts of the circuit it was different, and today this was confirmed.

The results in the round improved quickly, but were still not noticeable compared to last year, although there was only one training session then, as the weekend program in Baku then included a sprint. And these results are also worse than calculated.

The exact reasons for this are difficult to pinpoint, but it may be that the asphalt was prepared differently for the race weekend than a year ago, as it was clear what clouds of dust rose from under the wheels of the cars.

There were signs of granulation during long laps, but it wasn’t too obvious, and we expect the intensity to decrease as the asphalt becomes covered in a layer of scrap rubber.

In terms of tactics, the race in Baku usually consists of two parts, with teams using Medium and Hard tyres, while Soft tyres are only used in qualifying.

This explains why eight of the ten teams chose to keep both sets of Hard – not so much because they plan to run the race with two pit stops, but rather because they tried to anticipate situations where the race could be neutralised. Then they will benefit from tyres that work most effectively over a long distance.”