Hirohide Hamashima – Bridgestone Director of Motorsport Tyre Development
What was significant about today’s running?
“Today we encountered a dirty, cold and slippery track surface in the morning due to overnight rain, and the track was also damp in places. Track conditions improved in the afternoon, but finding grip and getting the tyres to work at their potential is still difficult here in Montreal. The choice of which compound to use in qualifying was the most difficult it has been all season. The two compounds showed different characteristics, but ultimately similar lap times at the front of the grid. The difference in warm-up between the low temperature working range super soft and the higher temperature working range medium was evident in Q3. Lewis set a fantastic pole with the super soft on his second flying lap and Mark was very close to him with a time set with the medium compound on his fourth flying lap.”
What are the tyre strategy considerations for tomorrow’s race?
“The fastest two cars set their qualifying times on different compounds so they will start the race on different tyres. The medium compound takes longer to warm-up than the super soft, so the initial laps will be interesting. The durability of the super soft at the start of the race will be interesting too. The race start is at 12 noon local time which is probably not going to be the warmest time of the day, which will not assist tyre performance. From the longer run data we have seen we do not predict that the super soft will be very durable, and this and the graining we have seen means it is unlikely that we will see one stop strategies. Of course, there is also the possibility of rain. As ever, Montreal is providing everyone with a very big challenge.”
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