The fast degrading Pirelli tyres of the 2011 Formula 1 season – From criticism to admiration
Formula 1 is the pinnacle of motorsports and has all the spices in it to attract the fans and sponsors from all around the world.
But after having some dull races in the past few years with almost no overtaking moves, Formula 1 lost a lot of viewership. It was then that the F1 officials decided to modify the cars a little bit for the 2011 season in order to improve the thrill of the
race and increase sponsorship.
In the first seven races of the 2011 Formula 1 season, the changes made to the car heavily paid off and a huge number of people witnessed the races on the tracks and on television all around the world.
Many rules were changed but most importantly, the tyres of the F1 cars were changed altogether.
Bridgestone tyres, used in the 2010 season, were replaced by Pirelli tyres which did wonders to the sport.
The Pirelli rubber was first used in the pre-season testing sessions in Spain and right from their first outing, all the Formula 1 teams criticised them. It degraded more than the drivers and technicians anticipated thereby forcing them to rethink the design
of their car around the tyres.
Pirelli tyres are different to the Bridgestones in such a way that they degrade far more quickly. The idea behind the degradation of the tyres was to induce more pit-stops and therefore make the race dependent not only on a fast car but on the strategy as
well.
Pirelli has introduced six kinds of tyres which possess different characteristics and can be used under different circumstances. Two of the tyres are especially for rain, which were used in the Montreal race while the other four tyres are used in dry conditions.
As the tyres behave differently, it becomes crucial to decide as to which compound of tyres will be used at which part of the race. The soft compound degrades more than the hard ones but gives good speed over a short period of time- 12 to 13 laps. Soft compound
is mostly used in the Qualifiers to give maximum amount of speed required to win the pole position.
The Hard Pirelli tyres are better for long stints but as they degrade, the car speed is reduced drastically. Hard tyres are normally put on by a driver in the last stint of the race when he only needs to retain his position until the chequered flag.
In the first seven races of the 2011 Formula 1 season, all the previous records of pit-stops and overtaking moves were broken and the teams changed their views about the Pirelli rubber.
In the Turkish Grand Prix alone, more than 80 pit-stops were seen along with an enormous number of overtaking manoeuvres.
As the tyres degrade, the speed of the car is compromised heavily and it is then that overtaking moves are carried out.
As the number of pit-stops have increased in the sport, the drivers along with the technical staff are much more involved in a race than in previous years.
12 races are still to be contested in the 2011 season and a lot more record-breaking performances can be expected from Pirelli tyres. Let’s see how they fare in the remainder of the season.
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