Pirelli believe some drivers will have to make as many as four tyre stops during the Malaysian Grand Prix.
Motorsport director Paul Hembery said: “We’re aware that Malaysia should be a very different proposition, with higher temperatures and increased degradation.
“We said all along that we would be seeing two to three pit stops in Australia, but in Malaysia I think that figure is likely to increase to three to four.”
The most pit stops made by any driver in Australia was three. The only driver who completed the race by making a single pit stop was Sergio Perez.
The teams will also have new tyres to test during both of Friday’s free practice sessions.
Hembery said: “We never believe in standing still at Pirelli, which is why the teams will have two extra sets of slick tyres available to them during Friday’s free practice sessions for evaluation purposes.
“With testing not allowed during the season, this gives us a valuable opportunity to gather more data and feedback, while it also gives the teams an interesting taste of what could be coming in the future.”
As announced earlier, drivers will use the hard (silver) and soft (yellow) tyres for this weekend’s race.
Jenson Button said he expects the tyres to be “trickier” in Sepang:
“The tyres will be the same in Malaysia as they were in Australia: the hard and the soft compounds. But Sepang will be much hotter, with much higher track temperatures, maybe as much as 45 degrees centigrade, and the track surface is very abrasive, particularly in comparison to Albert Park, which is very smooth.
“Sepang really requires a lot of high-speed stability from the tyre. So all of these factors will make the tyre situation a bit trickier – I think we’ll see higher degradation and more pit stops.
“It’s a highly abrasive track, so the fronts and rears will suffer. In terms of overall wear and durability across all the tracks we visit this year, Sepang probably sits somewhere in the middle.”
2011 Malaysian Grand Prix
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Image © Pirelli
BasCB (@bascb)
4th April 2011, 11:51
First time I noticed Trulli stopped only once in Australia. How many laps did he actually do?
It seems Pirelli is still working hard to improve the tyres for future races and for next year. Good to see them put in a good effort here.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
4th April 2011, 20:08
Have corrected that – he didn’t, it was only Perez who did.
Gambit
4th April 2011, 21:50
Perez is laughing at Pirelli, says he will do it in two. lol
BasCB (@bascb)
5th April 2011, 7:04
LOL
sw6569 (@sw6569)
4th April 2011, 11:52
Hopefully, we will see a bit more drop off in terms of tyre performance [I was a tad underwhelmed in Australia by the drop off, as Perez showed – although this is perhaps because the teams managed the tyre situation well].
Its shaping up to be a great race though!
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
4th April 2011, 12:08
I don’t mind if we see one-stop strategies again. What I’m really hoping for is tyres that work in such a way that making an extra stop at the end of the race is just as valid a strategy as staying out and enduring the reduced grip. We saw the beginnings of it with Alonso and Petrov in Melbourne, even if it didn’t work in Alonso’s favour. I hope it becomes a recurring theme of 2011.
bosyber (@bosyber)
4th April 2011, 12:37
Well said; if we see a select few drivers/teams being able to do a one- or two-stopper, many doing three, and a few needing even four, all giving more or less similar total race time, but with differences in freshness near the end of the race, the race won’t have faded after the 2/3rd mark.
Icthyes (@icthyes)
4th April 2011, 15:06
My understanding of the Pirellis is that you can’t manage the degradation except by going far too slowly. The cars appear to be the biggest factor in how fast the tyres go off, saving them beyond that isn’t within the drivers’ capacity to accomplish.
In Australia if Alonso hadn’t pitted we would have likely seen a similar result, with Alonso’s tyres going away and Petrov catching up and taking the place.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
4th April 2011, 15:19
The driver must be making some kind of difference though, perhaps through set-up, or we wouldn’t see one Red Bull doing two stops and the other making three.
Icthyes (@icthyes)
4th April 2011, 15:30
My guess would be set-up. Webber isn’t known for being that much worse than Vettel for tyres and Hamilton and Button didn’t look too different given their reputations.
Patrickl
4th April 2011, 20:07
Those reputations are simply made up anyway
verstappen
4th April 2011, 12:22
I haven’t really noticed, or read somewhere how durable the wet and intermediates are. Malaysia could be a rainy thing again and I wonder if the race is done on full wets, if they would still need four stops.
The rain in Malaysia is probably never suitable for a full wet(wheather) full wet (tyres) race, by then we’re condemned to a behind the safetycar race. But still I wonder how long they last.
And I also wonder how good the intermediates are on a dry(ing) tracj. Could someone benefit from doing a Kimi/Michel Vaillant strategy by already switching to the intermediates rounds before it starts to actually rain?
Bring it on!
bananarama (@bananarama)
4th April 2011, 12:50
This time of the year, it is very likely that there will be rain in the race. Forecasts say about 27°C and rain is possible (so depending on the actual forecast for the day and asking 90 year old malaysians, it might be a good idea to start on hard tyres and try running until the rain begins).
I guess nobody really knows how durable the wet tyres are and how well they suit the different cars. The RB with its massive downforce should be fine in the rain, but we know little about the others. Mercedes had a bit of running in the wet. Ferrari didn’t really have great rain cars in the last couple of years. How will Renaults front exhaust deal with it. A lot of questions and maybe we will find out soon :-)
BBT (@bbt)
4th April 2011, 13:27
Slightly disagree there. Last year RBR was generally behind Mclaren and Ferrari in the rain, we never really found out why but my theory is they could not go fast enough in the wet for the front wing to flex enough, so the high down force advantage disappeared.
Amir Anuar
4th April 2011, 13:47
the way it going right now i probably will be dry(very hot i might say up to 35C) with a chance of a light shower
Icthyes (@icthyes)
4th April 2011, 15:34
The usually brilliant Bridgestone Intermediates suddenly fell to pieces last year because of fuel loads (but then, they were pretty rubbish at the end of the Spa race too). I wonder if Pirelli have deliberately engineered the other tyres to try and last as long (or short) as the dry ones.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
4th April 2011, 15:41
Sutil said they were wearing out quickly – but he was very negative about the Pirellis to begin with. He said the wets were “even worse” than the slicks:
https://www.racefans.net/2011/03/11/sutil-sauber-williams-toro-rosso-strong/
sam
4th April 2011, 12:35
“We said all along that we would be seeing two to three pit stops in Australia, but in Malaysia I think that figure is likely to increase to three to four.”
“It’s a highly abrasive track, so the fronts and rears will suffer. In terms of overall wear and durability across all the tracks we visit this year, Sepang probably sits somewhere in the middle.”
So if we will see 4 stops here, and it’s only average in terms of degradation, will we see something crazy like a 5 or 6 stop race at the most abrasive tracks?
bosyber (@bosyber)
4th April 2011, 12:37
Depends on the temperature and other conditions too, I guess.
dragon
4th April 2011, 13:06
lol
for pure crazyness, bring the super soft and soft compounds for canada. 8 stop race! :D
infy (@infy)
4th April 2011, 14:01
Caaaaannada!
Mike
5th April 2011, 6:11
Get out and walk I’d reckon…
Still, at least then the HRT cars would qualify…
Todfod (@todfod)
4th April 2011, 12:56
4 stops are a little much. I think its going to be another situation of wait till the driver in front makes a pit stop and then jump him for position situation.
US_Peter (@us_peter)
4th April 2011, 22:40
But as usual drivers who try that strategy and are already losing performance will be at a disadvantage to the earlier pitting driver coming out on fresh rubber when they finally pit. That strategy rarely works it seems.
James (@jamesf1)
4th April 2011, 13:02
Depends on the weather I guess? But if there is a dry race, I wouldnt be suprised if someone managed to squeeze another one stop in, if not two stops
BBT (@bbt)
4th April 2011, 13:31
One to four stops is OK as long as people are doing different things. If everyone does 4 stops that doesn’t make it better than everyone doing two stops to me. Wonder how stops Perez will go for?
sato113 (@sato113)
4th April 2011, 14:13
i think there should be a yellow ring around the soft tyre from now on. like last year, but the colour would match the lettering.
AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner)
4th April 2011, 22:15
…If the tyres is spinning it will be a ring ;)
Mike
5th April 2011, 6:20
I agree, it was hard to see when watching the race, just because more often than not your not watching directly aside the car.
Icthyes (@icthyes)
4th April 2011, 15:07
Personally I can’t wait. Some say pit stops cheapen the racing; I urge those people to go watch an edited version of last year’s race that only includes Vettel and Webber screentime.
Patrickl
4th April 2011, 20:11
So we can see how Webber wasn’t allowed to stop before Vettel (which he actually wanted)?
AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner)
4th April 2011, 22:14
Trust Jenson to get his thoughts in own the tyres early! ;)
I am looking forward to this weekend, will help to compound how we see the season develop and also i’m keen to see DRS under application on a track better suited.
wasiF1 (@wasif1)
5th April 2011, 3:01
Do agree with hot races there will be more pit stop & as Malaysia have a high tyre degradation we may see many pit stops.
kenneth Ntulume
5th April 2011, 10:04
Gentlemen &Ladies(if any).
This begs the question, how then will the Canada drama be….if we are getting 4 pitstops in Malyasia, what six or 8 pitstops……..Canada is going to be crazy, given the drama of last year unless they change the track surface
Can wait
Mr draw
6th April 2011, 19:00
Too bad refuelling isn’t allowed anymore. :( The tyres are suited for many pitstops and qualifying fuel-levels.