F1 2024 speed gains now “beyond expectation”, says Pirelli

Pirelli says pace positive aspects being made by System 1 groups are actually “past expectation,” because it turns into aware concerning the impression on tyre masses.

Throughout a season when the grid has began to make some strong positive aspects with their 2024 automobiles, current grands prix have highlighted that the progress being made by squads is way larger than anticipated.

This has been highlighted once more in Abu Dhabi with Lando Norris’s quickest time from follow of 1m23.517s already simply shy of Max Verstappen’s pole place effort from final yr of 1m23.455s.

However the step up from 12 months is obvious, with Charles Leclerc’s quickest FP2 time from 2023 being 1m24.809s. The pace enhance in FP1 year-to-year was 1.7 seconds

Pirelli’s F1 chief engineer Simone Berra admitted that the present automobiles have been now “very quick” – which meant masses have been larger on tyres than predicted.

“The final races, we’ve got seen even a good larger enhance than anticipated, and we’ve got seen very excessive masses, particularly from two or three groups,” he defined.

“From the simulations, we usually have one for the top of the season and one for the center of the season for the yr, and no person thought to have these type of masses. [They are] mainly past expectation, I’d say.

“So it is fascinating how a lot they’re evolving with the automobiles, actually, as a result of we thought that in some unspecified time in the future, they [the teams] would attain kind of most stage of efficiency.

“However there are nonetheless some larger masses to achieve and a few efficiency to achieve. And we’re seeing within the final races, for instance, that Mercedes has improved loads. It’s extremely fascinating.”

The under desk exhibits how the pole place occasions from final yr examine to this yr which exhibits how a lot the lap occasions have advanced.

* moist qualifying
 
Whereas the positive aspects have ramped up this yr, Berra is uncertain about how a lot that may move into subsequent season.

“We obtained the crew simulations on the finish of November, so we are actually taking a look at these intimately,” he stated.

“For the second, we nonetheless do not have a transparent image. Clearly, we count on some enchancment, however we have to perceive from the info if the rise in efficiency will probably be, for example, a lot decrease and if we will probably be in a extra steady state of affairs.”

Excessive stress response

Pirelli has all the time been aware about a rise in masses opening up the chance of tyres being pushed past the boundaries and hitting issues.

Up to now it has generally responded with making structural adjustments to the development to assist enhance sturdiness – as occurred on the 2023 British Grand Prix – however that is one thing that may be unlikely for subsequent yr as a result of there’s a deal with sorting the 2026 rubber.

Berra stated that Pirelli doesn’t need to try this once more subsequent yr

“Principally, we do not need to change building all through the season as a result of we predict it is probably not truthful,” he stated. “We offer one specification and that must be the identical for the remainder of the season.

“For Silverstone final yr, the explanation was that the development by way of fatigue was fairly vital, and we proposed this to have a greater integrity for the tyres.

“However we do not count on to have one thing comparable subsequent yr as a result of the brand new construction has improved each fatigue and standing wave resistance.”

A method that Pirelli may reply to any issues brought on by elevated masses might be to extend tyre pressures on the season goes on – one thing which it may do on a case-by-case foundation.

“We’d react with the stress, however I’d fairly want to not enhance an excessive amount of the stress – and I believe the groups assume like that too,” added Berra.

“It’s as a result of you then begin producing overeating, and begin generate graining. So we wish to hold the stress as, for example, low as doable.”