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16th
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Adapted from GMM
Pirelli has decided against taking its soft tire compound to this weekend's Bahrain grand prix.
Before the season began, F1's official tire supplier announced that it would take its hard and soft tires to the island Kingdom.
"This is designed to ensure plenty of speed in qualifying coupled with the durability needed for the race," Pirelli said in a pre-season statement.
But the Italian marque has now announced that, in fact, the hard and medium compound tires will be raced this weekend.
The news follows the Chinese grand prix, where Pirelli was heavily criticised when the soft compound lasted only a few laps at the Shanghai circuit.
The asphalt surface of the Bahrain International Circuit, made up of 60,000 tonnes of imported granite from England, offers good grip when clean and is classified as medium to high in terms of abrasion.
According to Pirelli, the expected lifespan of the hard tire, when it comes to wear, should be 15-17 laps, whereas the medium tire should last for approximately 13 to 15 laps.
Pirelli added on Monday that "tire degradation (is) expected to be reasonably high (in Bahrain), which is why the two hardest compounds of the range have been nominated."
Paul Hembery commented: "It's one of the most demanding tracks of the year for the tires, mostly because of the high ambient and track temperatures."
Pirelli has decided against taking its soft tire compound to this weekend's Bahrain grand prix.
Before the season began, F1's official tire supplier announced that it would take its hard and soft tires to the island Kingdom.
"This is designed to ensure plenty of speed in qualifying coupled with the durability needed for the race," Pirelli said in a pre-season statement.
But the Italian marque has now announced that, in fact, the hard and medium compound tires will be raced this weekend.
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| Photo: Pirelli |
The news follows the Chinese grand prix, where Pirelli was heavily criticised when the soft compound lasted only a few laps at the Shanghai circuit.
The asphalt surface of the Bahrain International Circuit, made up of 60,000 tonnes of imported granite from England, offers good grip when clean and is classified as medium to high in terms of abrasion.
According to Pirelli, the expected lifespan of the hard tire, when it comes to wear, should be 15-17 laps, whereas the medium tire should last for approximately 13 to 15 laps.
Pirelli added on Monday that "tire degradation (is) expected to be reasonably high (in Bahrain), which is why the two hardest compounds of the range have been nominated."
Paul Hembery commented: "It's one of the most demanding tracks of the year for the tires, mostly because of the high ambient and track temperatures."