Pirelli believes it is still on target to deliver between two and three stops per driver at the Australian Grand Prix, despite the increased force going through the tyres.
Whilst the overall power output may have dropped in 2014 when compared to the V8 engines from previous years, the amount of torque travelling through the rear tyres has increased dramatically which will deliver increased wheel-spin.
That shouldn’t pose too much of a problem though as Pirelli has increased the durability of the tyres to cope and, according to Paul Hembery, two to three stops should remain the norm.
“This is the most radical rules shake-up of the modern Formula One era, so we’ve had to create a completely different set of tyres for the brand new dynamics presented by the 2014 cars,” he explained.
“Pre-season testing has shown just what a big challenge these new rules are for everybody, but we have worked very hard throughout last year and the winter to come up with an entirely fresh range of tyres specifically designed for these latest-generation cars, featuring new compounds and constructions that actually cut down on degradation while maintaining the same level of performance.
“As a result, we’re still expecting between two to three pit stops per car in Melbourne, although we’ll be able to make some more exact predictions after we see the cars run in free practice.
“The first race of the season is always unpredictable but this will be the case more than ever in 2014.”
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