The ATA guidelines are designed to enhance F1’s sustainability credentials by decreasing the variety of units that Pirelli has to deliver to every weekend whereas additionally probably creating some strategic selection on race day.
The format will even be trialled on the Italian GP earlier than its affect is assessed by the FIA and a extra intensive use sooner or later is taken into account.
The usual weekend allocation of dry tyres is 13 units, comprised of two hards, three mediums and eight softs.
Beneath the ATA guidelines, drivers get solely 11 units, with three hards, 4 mediums and 4 softs. One set must be returned after FP1, one other after FP2, and two extra after FP3. Drivers should retain a set of hards and a set of mediums for race day, however they need to find yourself with two units of every and thus extra choices for race technique.
Crucially, how groups use the tyres in qualifying is now prescribed. They will solely use hards in Q1, mediums in Q2 and softs in Q3.
An identical format has additionally been adopted this yr for the dash shootout, and as was the case on Saturday in Austria if the session is said moist, the slick restrictions are voided.
Pirelli has added one other aspect of intrigue by going one step softer than final yr and taking its C3, C4 and C5 compounds to Hungary, having finished the identical for the aborted Imola occasion. In different phrases, final yr’s Budapest medium is that this yr’s exhausting.
A Ferrari mechanic with some tyre stacks
Photograph by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
“With the choice tyre allocation, all of the groups can have two units of hards, two units of medium and two units of sentimental for the race,” Pirelli’s Mario Isola famous earlier this yr.
“So, we will go one step softer, and even when that will increase the variety of stops, they’ve sufficient tyres.
“With the present system, I do not need to say it is dangerous, as a result of it is simply they should do extra pit stops, but when they arrive to the race with just one set of exhausting, one set to medium, and all the remaining is smooth, and the smooth is just too smooth, it isn’t very best for the race. Then we’ve a scenario that isn’t pure and never what we would like.
“If issues work, we maintain [the ATA rules], if it does not work, we come again to the earlier one. The method is the suitable one as a result of sadly, even when you attempt to predict any doable element, there may be at all times one thing that isn’t predictable.”
Groups spent a whole lot of time finding out what the affect of the rules could be previous to Imola, and for this weekend they’ve referred again to that homework and amended it for Budapest.
“It’ll positively add to the problem,” says Mercedes senior race technique engineer Joseph McMillan. “With regards to qualifying, we’re often targeted on how we get the very best out of the smooth tyre on a single lap.
“That features assessing what the optimum tyre preparation is, what the very best out-lap profile appears like, amongst different issues. We now should take into consideration that for 3 completely different compounds.”
Consequently, groups may take completely different approaches to how they use the observe classes.
“We’ll most likely see much more diversified operating in free observe,” says McMillan. “We at all times do single lap work on every compound of tyre. However often, operating on the exhausting tyre simply helps the drivers get their eye in for his or her operating on the smooth tyre. This weekend, I think there will likely be extra dialogue round it.
“By way of run plans, it will likely be fascinating to see what everybody does. Every workforce interprets the ‘apparent’ factor to do barely in another way. How they divide their time and tyre allocation between qualifying and race preparations will likely be fascinating.
“You don’t need to be compromised by doing all your single lap operating when everybody else is targeted on lengthy runs. You need to keep away from visitors, and also you don’t need to be fully completely different to everybody else, as you then have little or no thought the place you stack up when it comes to tempo.”
Mario Isola, Racing Supervisor, Pirelli Motorsport, within the Crew Principals’ Press Convention
Photograph by: FIA Pool
McMillan agrees that groups will now have extra leeway when it comes to what they’ve obtainable for race day.
“With extra units of the medium and exhausting tyre than we often take, we’ll doubtless find yourself with a tyre allocation for the grand prix that appears a lot nicer than at different races,” he says.
“The smooth C5 is very unlikely to be a race tyre. The medium and exhausting compound will doubtless be most well-liked and, with extra units of these to play with, we needs to be in a greater place than normal.
“Usually, we should commit as to whether we would like a second exhausting tyre, a second medium, or a smooth tyre. At a number of races this yr, we’ve opted to avoid wasting a second set of recent exhausting tyres for the race.
“While this doesn’t come into play strategically, it’s a significant choice all groups should make. This may doubtless not be the case in Budapest although, and post-qualifying, we can have a capability to pick out our technique with out a few of these limitations we often have.
“We’ve agreed an preliminary proposal of what we’ll do, however we proceed to adapt this throughout the weekend. We’ve additionally needed to make a code change to our simulations in order that it understands this qualifying format.”
All groups are ready to see how the brand new rules pan out this weekend.
“I believe that different tyre allocations, it is a good factor to be attempting,” says Aston Martin efficiency director Tom McCullough.
“I believe the drivers will not actually thoughts. Already within the dash occasions, we have had a little bit of utilizing completely different compounds in qualifying – clearly in Baku, not the final one with the climate in Austria.
“It is nearly the way you adapt to understanding the completely different tyres and attempt to give the drivers ok observe on the completely different compounds earlier than qualifying and nonetheless have the nice race tyres. That is the problem for everybody. I believe it is fascinating to do one thing like that.”
Williams’ head of auto efficiency Dave Robson admits to some frustration that there’s a obligatory alternative in qualifying.
“We’ll have to attend and see the way it goes,” he says. “I might at all times slightly we had the liberty to decide on what we do, to be sincere. Even when at instances we do not, not less than we had that chance.
“The extra prescribed it comes, the much less alternative there may be to do one thing. However as I stated I am open-minded about seeing the way it goes. We’ll discover out.”