Pirelli hold less concerns than Qatar but warn 'asphalt is quite bumpy'

That must be a huge relief for teams and drivers. Although the mandatory three pit stops instituted for the Qatar race made for hard racing - after all, drivers could use a lot of their tyres - it was disproportionately hard on drivers in physical terms. Pirelli expect much more controllable tyre wear at the Circuit of the Americas. Better weather too

Pirelli expects a more balanced weekend in America

Pirelli sporting director Mario Isola looks ahead to the upcoming race weekend: "The forces at work on the tyres are mainly lateral, and they are quite well balanced between front and rear, without a specific corner of the car being subjected to particular stress [...] The asphalt is still quite bumpy, despite the partial resurfacing that took place last year. This can lead to the tyre sliding very slightly, which is a potential cause of overheating."

The biggest 'problems' drivers and teams have to consider in Austin is the heating up of the tyres. So-called graining is rare at the track because of this. Isola concludes, "The race has always been held in autumn: a time of year when the weather can be very changeable, even within a very short time span. It’s not uncommon to see alternately sunny and rain days, with a wide range of temperatures."

Taking into account the points mentioned by Isola, the tyre manufacturer has chosen to bring a balanced set of tyres as well. Teams may choose from the middle C2, C3 and C4 sections this weekend. Here, the C2 is the hardest compound and C4 the softest available tyre.