2023 F1 Cars Are Too Fast for Their Tires, So Pirelli Is Bringing More Durable Slicks Sooner
The tires allegedly won’t make the cars go faster, but they’ll deliver more consistent performance.
Formula 1 cars up and down the grid are faster than Pirelli anticipated. F1's tire manufacturer says the 2023 cars need more durable tires to keep running strong, and it intends to introduce new slicks at Silverstone to keep up the pace.
As Racer reports, the pace in the first quarter of the 2023 season has exceed what officials expected. Slower cars were anticipated this year due to ride height regulations that moved the ground effect machines' floor further from up from the track, reducing their downforce. That didn't happen. As Pirelli's motorsport chief Mario Isola said, Sergio Perez' pole lap at Miami was a full two seconds faster than last year, which it definitely didn't see coming. As such, more durable tires are needed, and that's what's on the way.
The tires are not expected to make the cars even faster but instead, deliver more consistent performance at higher loads. Many of the materials in these new tires were actually developed for the 2024 season when higher performance was anticipated than the current formula. As such, the compounds are relatively mature. Nonetheless, teams will still get two extra sets for the free practice sessions at the Spanish Grand Prix, just a few races away so that drivers can accustom themselves to the new rubber.
There are still several grands prix ahead of us until these new tires formally arrive for races so don't anticipate any big changes soon. Any difference in the behavior of the cars—or the drivers—will be seen several weeks from now.
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