No Relaxing at Spa for Tyre Management
We return to racing for Round 7 of The FIA Formula 2 Championship at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium. As we move into the second half we will witness yet more drama as the Formula 2 drivers get to grips with the new 18-inch tyres.
The season has been frantic and for the most part unpredictable with nine different race winners from the 12 races held so far.
We discussed tyre management with Luca Ghiotto this week, “I think what is making the big difference this year is the new tyres, the new car is quite different to drive.” he said.
Talking about both the new set up and the rookie field in what has been a surprisingly open battle he said, “you expect something from the tyres and car when driving and it may actually do the opposite. I think that right now actually having no experience is helpful, it’s not a bad thing.
Spa is a demanding circuit generally for drivers and tyres alike, with different forces created by the various types of corner around the circuit. There are high lateral loads in fast corners such as Pouhon, significant vertical loads in elevation changes like at Eau Rouge, as well as large braking and traction forces in and out of slower corners such as the chicane that ends the lap.
The weather is always a challenge at Spa and the this weekend looks no different as we see possible wet racing all weekend.
The Weekends Tyre selection
The P Zero Yellow medium and P Zero Red soft tyres have been nominated in Formula 2 for Spa. This combination was previously seen in Hungary earlier this season.
In Formula 2, each driver has five sets of slick tyres to use over the weekend: three medium and two soft. They also have three sets of wet-weather tyres. During race one, where there is a mandatory pit stop, both compounds have to be used unless it is declared a wet race. Pit stops are optional in race two.
Mario Isola, Pirelli head of car racing discussed the selection ahead of the weekend; “Spa is always a challenging circuit for the drivers and the demands for the tyres are also high. As usual at Spa, the compounds nominated in both F2 and F3 are from the middle of the range and are likely to require some degree of management, but we usually see some exciting racing there in both championships and we’re looking forward to more of that this weekend. Of course, in Formula 2 especially, Anthoine Hubert will be at the forefront of everybody’s thoughts this weekend, with a number of tributes planned.”
We look forward to more action packed racing this weekend while remembering #AH19
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* Image Credit: Official FIA F2 Press / (C) Formula Motorsport Limited
