F1 News
Isola sees challenge in Singapore: 'Wait and see if that has an effect on it'
- Toby McLuskie
This coming weekend is the Singapore Grand Prix. The event will be held at the Marina Bay Street Circuit and the street circuit has undergone some considerable changes for this year's edition. Pirelli boss Mario Isola states that it remains to be seen the actual effects of this.
Softest Pirelli tyres in Singapore
For the Singapore Grand Prix, the Italian tyre manufacturer has brought the softest tyres of the spectrum, the C3, C4 and C5. "This track doesn’t place particular stress on the tyres in terms of loading, but the rear tyres need to be carefully managed during the traction phase when exiting slow corners. Temperatures are usually consistently high, as Singapore is only about 150 kilometres from the equator. This increases the risk of overheating: not just for tyres but also everything else, including the mechanicals and of course the driver," Isola explained.
Will adaptation in Singapore make for different strategy?
The former corners sixteen to nineteen have become a straight for the 2023 edition. This should encourage overtaking. "This change will make the track faster; firstly because the total lap length is now less than five kilometres and secondly because the layout has become a lot more flowing. We’ll wait to see if this change has an effect on strategies, because in theory at least it could create an overtaking opportunity," the Pirelli boss concludes.