Zandvoort’s return to the Formula 1 calendar in 2020 has required major changes to the circuit, including a banked final corner which will be twice as steep as the turns at Indianapolis.
Some concerns have been raised that this could lead to tyre issues, similar to those that saw the 2005 United States Grand Prix become a farce, as just six cars lined up to take the start.
This was down to an issue with the Michelin tyres – used by 7 of the ten teams – with the French supplier warning that its tyres couldn’t cope with the increased pressure demanded by banked turns and they would likely fail after ten laps.
However Dutch Grand Prix sporting director Jan Lammers has no concerns that such an incident could be repeated.
“I don’t expect any issues with the tyres,” he told GPToday. “There are two reasons for that. First of all, the corner in Indianapolis is way longer than this one. So the overall tyre load was much heavier there.
“Second, the corners in Indianapolis have some kind of linear banking. Over here we have a progressive banking, almost comparable to a bobsleigh track.”
Lammers says the matter has been discussed with F1 tyre supplier Pirelli and they continue to share data to ensure it won’t be a problem.
“We talked to Pirelli as well. Basically from the first moment we thought of creating a banked corner in Zandvoort.
“We speak to them on a daily basis and share all the updates and information we have.”
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