The tire supplier , Pirelliin conjunction with the FIA, have worked together on an action plan which should help avoid a repeat of the problems which marred last season's Qatar Grand Prix, it has been revealed. .
When F1 returned to the renovated Losail circuit in 2023, it encountered tire problems due to the damage caused by the new pyramidal borders which had been installed.
After the first free practice sessions, Pirelli discovered microscopic separations in the sidewalls between the compounds and the casing cords.
This was because drivers drove aggressively on the new curbs, which had a 50mm raised edge, causing serious impacts when tires landed on the curb edges.
Mario Isolahead of Pirelli in F1, then explained the cause of the problem: “It's not just the geometry of the curbs, because these curbs are used on many other circuits. What is important is the time and the speed at which the pilots pass the borders.
“So here, during the lap, all the drivers spend a lot of time at high speed on the curbs, and that damages the construction,” he added.
Borders of the Qatar pyramid
Photo by: Alex Kalinauckas
Fearing that this damage would lead to tire failure, the FIA intervened and imposed a maximum length of 18 laps for new tires in the 2023 race.
To try to prevent these problems from recurring, Pirelli and the FIA have been working hard to find an answer to try to ensure the tires face similar punishment this year..
The biggest change will happen on the track, because the ends of the borders have been rounded pyramidal in seven of the 16 turns on the track: the first two turns, turn 4, turn 10, as well as the section that starts at turn 12 and ends at turn 14, where last year the tires suffered the most.
To further discourage drivers from pushing the limits too far, the FIA has also installed several gravel loopholes behind the edges of the track.
Beyond the physical work on the track, Pirelli carried out experiments on its dynamic test benches to better understand the forces at play. To do this, it ran the tires over a sample of the new pavement design provided by the FIA to see if there was any risk of the problems recurring.
More data has also been obtained from testing of cars from previous years that some teams have carried out in recent weeks in .
Although the tests on vintage cars did not involve the use of 2024 tires, the information gathered was useful in correlating the work done in Milan with what is happening in the real world. Given that Losail is one of the most demanding circuits of the year due to its energy levels, Pirelli will use the three hardest compounds in its range.
