Pirelli believes tyre usage will be more important than ever at the Spanish Grand Prix weekend, due to the speed of the 2020 Formula 1 cars, and the expected high temperatures.
The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya places substantial stress on the tyres due to the abundance of high-energy corners, most notably the long-radius Turn 3 and high-speed Turn 9.
Pirelli has nominated the three hardest tyres from its range – the C1s, C2s and C3s – mirroring the choice made last season, when front-runners ran a two-stop strategy.
The stress on the tyres has been enhanced due to the increased speed of the 2020 cars while Spain’s race has been moved to this weekend from May, on account of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Air temperature is due to peak at 30c this weekend, with no rain forecast, meaning high track temperatures are also expected.
“Although it will be the third time that the teams drive at the Circuit de Catalunya this year, following the two pre-season tests, the conditions they will encounter this weekend are likely to be very different,” said Pirelli chief Mario Isola.
“This is because of the warm weather, and all the improvements made to the cars since winter testing.
“The expected high temperatures in Barcelona in mid-August will increase thermal degradation on a track already well-known for being tough on tyres, so it’s going to be particularly important to manage them and control any overheating that affects traction.
“With the current cars being faster than ever – as Silverstone recently confirmed – and the Spanish Grand Prix never being run in August before, this should be the most demanding race for tyres we’ve seen at the Circuit de Catalunya.”
Pirelli has also again delayed the evaluation of its prototype tyres for the 2021 season.
A 30-minute window was due to be allocated to 2021 assessment during second practice at the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix but this was postponed to Spain in the wake of tyre failures at the previous event.
However it has now been delayed indefinitely “in order to give time to design some new prototypes for next year.”
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