Formulation 1 observe at non-sprint weekends is a well known format – groups have an hour in each FP1 and FP2 on Fridays after which a 3rd 60-minute session on Saturday earlier than qualifying.
However second observe on the Mexico Metropolis Grand Prix will tackle a unique format as Pirelli conducts an important take a look at forward of its 2025 tyre compound homologation.
The change mirrors the one made for final yr’s occasion, the place the Italian producer trialled a prototype C4 compound forward of the present marketing campaign.
Pirelli wants actual working information when finalising its homologation forward of the brand new season, which can once more see F1 journey to 24 locations throughout the globe, and with a scarcity of in-season testing time, this weekend’s observe session has been earmarked as an opportunity to collect info.
As defined by Pirelli, the session will likely be “completely given over to validating” the tyre vary’s softest compounds for subsequent yr: the C4, C5 and C6 compounds.
To facilitate the take a look at, FP2 will likely be prolonged to 90 minutes, with all drivers and groups obliged to observe a run plan established by Pirelli’s engineers.
Engineers from Aston Martin and Pirelli examine the Medium and Comfortable tyres
Photograph by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Photos
So, along with the standard dry tyre allocation for the grand prix weekend, drivers will likely be given two extra units of tyres. One will likely be a take a look at management tyre – i.e. the identical compound because the gentle within the regular allocation – and the opposite will likely be a 2025 prototype, which Pirelli has confirmed was homologated in September.
The desired programmes will embrace a qualifying simulation run and a race simulation run, with “each crew operating the identical variety of laps with the same amount of gasoline onboard” – depending on which run sort is being carried out.
These tyre units will likely be identifiable as they won’t run with colored sidewalls.
A complication for the take a look at is that some contracted race drivers will likely be making manner for rookies to finish one of many regulation-mandated rookie runs in FP1, with a scarcity of on-track time in comparison with rivals doubtlessly placing people who stepped apart at an obstacle.
Pirelli has counteracted this by handing these affected an extra set of medium compound tyres for FP2 and permit them half-hour of ‘free’ operating, thus solely obliged to finish 60 minutes of tyre testing.
Knowledge from the take a look at will likely be analysed earlier than the post-season group tyre take a look at, which can happen on the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi.
With what is actually solely two hours of operating to collect race-representative information, groups will face an identical engineering problem to that of a dash weekend, albeit with slight respite from the additional observe session earlier than parc ferme is locked in.
Why has Pirelli chosen Mexico?
Whilst you would anticipate the additional time to be a revenue for groups and drivers for the weekend, it really does not work out that manner for everybody given the necessities of the take a look at.
As Haas driver Nico Hulkenberg’s race engineer Gary Gannon informed Motorsport.com, drivers should not get suckered into altering the stability of the automobile off the again of operating on the prototype tyres.
Gannon additionally pointed on the market was no benefit from operating two contracted racers in FP1 over these testing rookies, explaining: “In case you are not operating a younger driver in FP1, you aren’t in a position to utilise the additional time, so for us, operating two racing drivers in FP1, in FP2 we’re solely doing the Pirelli tyre take a look at programme.
“So FP2 is misplaced by way of our understanding and use for the race weekend, so now we have to do all of our type of Friday studying in FP1.”
The Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez is an outlier on the F1 calendar attributable to its monitor structure and excessive altitude, which might counsel it as an odd possibility for a tyre take a look at.
However that is precisely why it has been chosen and Gannon added: “Pirelli’s tyres have to work in all situations, so it’s notably necessary to seek out out if they’re notably weak… they might have a compound that works nice at Barcelona the place there’s a whole lot of tyre vitality and the tyres work since you are all the time pushing them.
“Right here is likely one of the excessive instances and so now we have baseline, now we have the baseline tyre and now we have the morning operating so they are going to know what the grip ought to really feel like. Additionally, the monitor improves lots in FP1, that is why you do the take a look at in FP2, as a result of if you happen to attempt to do the take a look at out of the field in FP1, the monitor is altering very dramatically because it will get cleaned up and rubbered in.
“In FP2, the situations are very steady, so you will discover out if this new compound or new building they’ve provide you with has some weak spot on very low grip or easy tarmac surfaces.
“In order that they have to be attempting all these outlier circuits as a result of that is the place you’ll have a depressing weekend if you happen to ship tyres that solely work in low-downforce, for instance.”
