Whereas the three-way battle for Method 1’s Drivers’ Championship inevitably takes centre stage on the Qatar Grand Prix, the season’s penultimate occasion additionally includes a particular tyre rule in place for this weekend.
What is the regulation, why has it been launched and what affect may it have on Sunday’s crunch 57-lap race on the Lusail Worldwide Circuit? Learn on to search out out…
What’s the new tyre rule for Qatar?
Pirelli has imposed limits on the laps every set of tyres can full throughout the Qatar race weekend.
Every tyre set can cowl a most of 25 laps cumulatively by way of the weekend’s 5 monitor classes.
The one laps not counted in direction of the totals are laps from the pit lane to the grid, formation laps and people accomplished after the chequered flag in Saturday’s Dash and Sunday’s Grand Prix.
Pirelli will inform the groups forward of the Grand Prix what number of laps have been accomplished on their remaining tyre units. Because of the demanding nature of the Lusail monitor, Pirelli are bringing their three hardest compounds of their vary to the occasion – the C1 (exhausting), C2 (medium) and C3.(smooth).
Groups begin the occasion with two units of exhausting, 4 of medium and 6 of sentimental.
So what does all of it imply?
Over to Sky Sports activities F1’s Bernie Collins, former head of race technique at Aston Martin, to interrupt down a number of the key questions across the tyre rules for this weekend…
Why has the rule been launched?
Bernie Collins: “Qatar is a high-speed circuit that puts a lot of loads in the tyres.
“In 2023 we had fairly aggressive peaks within the kerbs that had been really chopping the sidewalls of the tyres, which is clearly very harmful as a result of high-speed nature of the monitor and the hundreds the tyres are below.
“With the very hot conditions and the aggressive kerbs two years ago, they did enforce a structured tyre life of 18 laps, which was more restrictive than what we now have for this year.
“These kerbs had been reprofiled earlier than final 12 months’s race, so that’s now not a problem. Nonetheless, final 12 months we had a lot cooler situations in Qatar than we anticipated and that allowed groups to finish a one-stop technique as a result of there was little or no tyre degradation. That, mixed with fairly an extended pit-loss time, pushed folks to finish a one-stop technique and noticed some tyres attain most put on degree.
“The outer surface had basically worn away and you are on the construction of the tyre. Combined with the potential for the cuttings on the kerb when the tyre is very thin, that is what Pirelli are worried about.
“So sporting it to that very skinny degree, in the event you get a reduce then it’s totally harmful, in order that’s why they’ve introduced on this restrict of 25 laps primarily based on the 35 laps that they’d seen folks full final 12 months.”
How will it change how teams prepare for the race?
Bernie: “The largest factor that it’s going to change is that it forces all groups right into a two-stop technique however with 25 laps and solely a 57-lap race there’s good variability in when you may cease.
“So, unlike two years ago, I think there is a lot of variability possible in strategy.
“It can change how folks use tyres and what tyres they save for the race. If the monitor temperature is cool sufficient it might have been a one-stop race once more with out this limitation so due to this fact groups are going to wish one other set for the race than they’d in any other case have completed.
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Sky Sports activities’ Ted Kravitz explains the basics of a Method 1 tyre.
“They will also have to make sure the sets they have available don’t already have too many laps on them so that they leave themselves enough flexibility.
“I really suppose it would push in direction of a soft-medium race or no less than two units of medium and one set of hards as a result of you aren’t going to be working the tyre for a really very long time.
“So maybe the advantage of having a hard tyre isn’t as great as it would be if you were trying to one stop, for example.”
Anything to think about?
Bernie: “One restriction with the 25 laps is what people can do under certain Safety Cars.
“Pitting below a Security Automotive originally of the race with a broken entrance wing, for instance, would imply you’d nonetheless should cease two extra occasions as a result of you may’t get to the top with two units of 25 laps.
“Equally, if the Safety Car comes out with 26 laps to go you can’t stop under that Safety Car so it is quite restrictive in some Safety Car situations and might lead to some oddities there.
“It additionally restricts the earliest that somebody can cease in a standard racing state of affairs.
“If you think someone wants to undercut a car ahead, for example, the earliest you can really stop is lap seven in order to have two 25-lap stints to the end. And, if you do stop on lap seven then, everyone knows exactly which lap you will stop on later on in the race – 32. So that will be interesting.”
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Craig Slater explains how Lando Norris might declare his maiden world title on the Qatar Grand Prix.
Will the rule assist or hinder sure groups’ automobiles?
Bernie: “I think those that feel they have an advantage on tyre life will feel hindered by it. So maybe McLaren will feel hindered a little bit by it but teams that have better degradation than others will still have better degradation than others and maybe able to push the tyre a little bit harder in the two-stop.
“So I do not suppose it is a huge professional or con.”
Sky Sports activities F1’s Qatar GP schedule
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Look again at a number of the most dramatic moments to have taken place on the Qatar Grand Prix.
Friday November 28
11.05am: F2 Observe
1pm: Qatar GP Observe (session begins at 1.30pm)*
3.30pm: Crew Bosses’ Press Convention
4.05pm: F2 Qualifying*
4.50pm: Qatar GP Dash Qualifying (session begins at 5.30pm)*
Saturday November 29
1pm: Qatar GP Dash build-up*
2pm: QATAR GP SPRINT*
3.30pm: Ted’s Dash Pocket book*
4.15pm: F2 Dash
5.15pm: Qatar GP Qualifying build-up
6pm: QATAR GP QUALIFYING
8pm: Ted’s Qualifying Pocket book
Sunday November 30
11.55am: F2 Function
2.30pm: Grand Prix Sunday: Qatar GP build-up
4pm: THE QATAR GRAND PRIX
6pm: Chequered Flag: Qatar GP response
7pm: Ted’s Pocket book
*additionally on Sky Sports activities Important Occasion
Method 1’s season-ending triple header continues with the Qatar Grand Prix Dash weekend stay on Sky Sports activities F1 from Friday. Stream Sky Sports activities with NOW – no contract, cancel anytime
