Because the F1 paddock crammed up on Saturday morning forward of the Qatar occasion’s dash race motion, the FIA announced that Pirelli had discovered a serious risk of potential dramatic punctures during Sunday’s main race following its post-practice evaluation of tyres that had accomplished over 20 laps in Friday’s FP1 session.
On this communication, it was revealed that Pirelli would analyse the state of the tyres utilized in Saturday’s 19-lap dash race, which came about with revised monitor limits at two of the corners the place raised pyramid-shaped kerbs had been significantly pounding the tyres.
This and the size of time and excessive velocity the drivers had been spending on kerbs across the Losail monitor was inflicting the problem of sidewall separation between the tyres’ topping compound and the carcass cords in FP1.
If Pirelli discovered the problem was nonetheless occurring following the monitor modifications, Sunday’s grand prix occasion was set to have mandated stint size caps and three pitstops to keep away from the danger of punctures occurring – significantly in one of many many high-speed corners at this venue.
Following Oscar Piastri’s win in the sprint race ahead of newly crowned 2023 world champion Max Verstappen, Pirelli is conducting this evaluation.
This has been difficult by the dash race that includes three security automotive intervals that meant the tender and medium tyres used weren’t underneath the anticipated full inexperienced flag race stint size pressure.
However in any case, the FIA has determined it is not going to reveal the result of Pirelli’s investigation – which involves cutting open the tyres to see the full extent of the damage sustained to tyre sidewalls – till after it has defined the scenario to all of the groups at 2pm native time in Qatar on Sunday.
This follows the groups discovering the preliminary fears over the tyres solely when it was introduced to the media on Saturday morning.
Mario Isola, Racing Supervisor, Pirelli Motorsport
Photograph by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
Neither group engineers nor the drivers had encountered any potential tyre issues throughout Friday’s motion, because the scenario was only revealed when the first tyres were cut open as a part of Pirelli’s typical post-practice evaluation work on Friday night time.
Some drivers – together with Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz – outlined frustrations at having to discover the tyre situation in media reports, which is known to have been factored into the choice timing on the GP race’s tyre guidelines announcement following the upcoming group managers’ assembly.
In a press launch despatched out following the dash race, Pirelli motorsport boss Mario Isola acknowledged: “It was a very busy day for Pirelli.
“As beforehand talked about, throughout our standard evaluation final night time after free follow, we found that some tyres that had accomplished 20 or extra laps had been displaying indicators of micro lacerations within the sidewall, between the topping compound and the carcass cords, probably attributable to the affect generated by repeatedly going over the kerbs at some corners, particularly Turns 12 and 13.
“We instantly knowledgeable the FIA, who proceeded to take motion, by revising the monitor limits at these corners and instigating an extra free follow session previous to the dash shootout, to permit the drivers to take a look at the brand new traces by way of this a part of the monitor.
“Now, as is the case at each race weekend, we’re analysing the units returned to us on the finish of the day.
“As soon as this process is accomplished, we are going to go on the outcomes of our findings to the FIA and, if crucial, additional measures shall be put in place for tomorrow night time’s grand prix.
“Waiting for tomorrow, it isn’t value speculating about methods, on condition that we should anticipate the result of our on-going evaluation after which see if this has any regulatory impact on how the race shall be run.”