Mario Isola, director of Pirelli Motorsport, clarifies the technical elements that enable one group to realize the optimum working window for his or her tires in comparison with one other. Feedback from the paddock recommend it depends upon the tires, however overheating is definitely associated to the vehicles.
Inside this “window” lies the distinction between success and failure. In Method 1, it has turn out to be customary apply to reference the “working window” in discussions. Whether or not it’s a driver or an engineer, the idea is a key variable in figuring out if work is progressing in the appropriate path.
Setups are designed to hit the “window,” vehicles are engineered to facilitate this objective, and drivers adapt their driving kinds to function inside this vary.
To higher perceive the science behind this “window,” Motorsport.com requested Mario Isola, director of Pirelli Motorsport, to offer a simple clarification of the technical ideas that dominate group briefings: “It’s important to begin with the tread compound, the a part of the tire that touches the asphalt, the place contact generates grip primarily based on temperature,” Mario Isola defined.
“When a driver goes out on observe, there’s an preliminary warming section the place grip is lowered as a result of low temperature. Because the tire rotates, it heats up, a course of generally known as the warm-up, till it reaches a temperature at which the compound delivers most grip. If this threshold is exceeded, the tire overheats, and grip is misplaced. So the place do drivers all the time need to be? Clearly, on the peak.”
The power to hit the window—outlined by the minimal and most temperatures the place the tire delivers optimum efficiency—depends upon many elements. Usually, folks (particularly drivers) assume the tire is the trigger, nevertheless it’s truly an impact. The window just isn’t solely decided by tire traits however is the results of how a automobile makes use of the tires.
The dimensions of the window varies with totally different compounds, however there are important variations between vehicles. Suspension design is a key variable, however aerodynamic load performs an important function, because it determines how a lot the tire is pressed in opposition to the asphalt: “If the contact patch is bigger, grip improves, though it’s not the one issue to contemplate for efficiency,” Mario Isola emphasised. “Distributing the contact floor extra evenly will increase effectivity and reduces overheating as a result of warmth is dissipated over a bigger space. So it’s truthful to say the group defines the window with their automobile.”
When Pirelli turned the only real tire provider for Method 1, one of many requests from groups was to extend the window’s vary, initially outlined as a 3% discount in grip variability. Nonetheless, that vary rapidly turned much less related: “A 3% grip distinction at the moment equates to about one second per lap,” Mario Isola famous, “an unlimited worth given the present stage of competitors in Method 1. We’ve labored extensively to realize real looking situations in our indoor assessments, and now we will simulate various kinds of asphalt, temperatures, and situations.”
The newest era of tires has improved in warm-up occasions (a quicker course of now) and stabilizes to make sure a broader optimum working window with a extra gradual entry and exit from the window. “The basic instance is overheating,” Isola defined. “When a driver exceeds the window, they really feel a lack of grip and fear they will’t convey the tires again into the optimum vary. Now overheating is extra gradual in comparison with the previous, permitting drivers to note rising temperatures early and handle the state of affairs. To switch the working curve of the tires, we labored on the chemistry and elements of the compounds, attaining barely wider and flatter working curves.”
Pirelli’s problem is complicated, additional difficult by the necessity to present one of the best compromise for ten groups.
“In a single-supplier situation, that’s how it’s,” Mario Isola admitted. “In championships the place tire suppliers compete, the main target is on the geared up group. It’s a situation we all know effectively from GT championships. However in at the moment’s Method 1, the group should design the automobile in line with the tire traits. Because of this, groups are asking us for extra information earlier and earlier. We’re already at a stage the place they’ve requested data for 2026 initiatives!”
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