Pirelli give indication: 'Think Baku or Monza for Las Vegas'
F1 News
- GPblog.com
Earlier, Pirelli chief Mario Isola revealed that the Las Vegas GP is "a step into the unknown" for the tyre manufacturer and F1 teams. It is riddled with question marks surrounding the new Grand Prix on the calendar. How the tarmac is and whether the tarmac will improve as the weekend progresses are two of those question marks.
Las Vegas a step into the unknown
The low temperatures in Las Vegas in the evening and at night will make things very difficult for F1 teams. Warming up the tyres is going to be a big challenge, and Isola previously predicted that there will be complaints from the drivers. Besides warming up the tyres, it is also difficult to estimate how the tyres are going to react to the low level of downforce that the track demands and to the bumpy or not bumpy tarmac.
Pirelli has asked teams over the past year to provide multiple simulations and share their expectations of the tyres' behaviour with the manufacturer. In this way, Isola believes he is as prepared as possible but warns of several potential trouble areas in an outlook for the third US GP weekend.
Las Vegas Street Circuit open to normal traffic during the day
The Las Vegas Street Circuit is the second longest circuit on the grid after Spa-Francorchamps, and no driver has yet driven there. Isola: "The surface will be a mix of the usual street asphalt, especially on the actual Strip, as well as other parts that have been completely re-asphalted for the occasion; adding another unknown element. There won’t be any support races, and the track will be opened again to normal traffic for long chunks of the day, which means that the surface won’t rubber in as usual and deliver improved grip."
The Las Vegas circuit has three long straights and 17 corners. The long straights mean that some corners and corner sections are far apart and slow. Isola therefore expects a low-downforce set-up from the teams.
Las Vegas similar to Monza and Baku
"Similar to Baku or indeed Monza: hitting a high top speed will be key to being competitive. All the sessions will take place at night, with unusual ambient and track temperatures for a race weekend; more similar to those found back when pre-season testing used to take place in Europe. Those long straights also make it harder to warm up tyres in qualifying, as well as keep them in the right window: the same challenge as seen in Baku, which will probably be more pronounced in Las Vegas," Isola added.