The starting grid at the Red Bull Ring certainly makes for an interesting race, with the two Ferraris sandwiched between the Mercedes of Russell and Antonelli. Spielberg’s aggressive tarmac and Styria’s high temperatures promise high thermal degradation and set up another strategically lively Grand Prix. There’s certainly no shortage of options, as Pirelli’s Chief Engineer Simone Berra explains to FormulaPassion. “We exclude the single parking spot,” Berra begins the best options. The heatwave hitting Europe also hit the Red Bull Ring, whose asphalt broke the 50°C barrier, and put the tires to the test: “The disruptions are higher than we expected before the event. On the eve of the one-stop it was only 3-4 seconds slower and that could have been a possibility. Even if we take into account an improvement that has definitely occurred compared to what we saw on Friday, we still believe that the two-stop strategy is the fastest strategy.” “On paper, using medium initially and then two sets of hard tires or a medium-hard-medium sequence are the fastest strategies,” Berra continues. “We were surprised that there was a divide between those who kept the two tough teams, like the top teams, and those who kept the two mediocre teams. Max [Verstappen] He even kept two hard and two moderate. In my opinion, he wanted to cover up a little, to get a glimpse of how the tough one behaves in the race. Having two sets of both compounds allows you to be much more flexible. “In the final stage, one can decide which of the two feels best.” Soft compound variable According to Pirelli, softer compound can also be included in the strategic framework: “An interesting page is opening in soft compound. We know that teams are a bit reluctant to use this because they have historical experience where C5 tends to break a lot. But here we actually found that even the softer compound was used more in the past. In our opinion, this is a racing tire, it can be used on very important tracks. It may provide an advantage in terms of handling in the first 3-4 laps, but eventually there may be a deterioration towards medium and hard levels. “We are in a similar situation to Barcelona, where having extra grip guarantees you a little more performance, while medium and hard tires tend to slip and create thermal degradation similar to soft tyres.” It was Lewis Hamilton who used the softer compound at the start in Barcelona, and Berra does not rule out that someone might try again: “I think someone might try to use the softer compound at the start to gain some positions. Traffic is definitely an important factor here. Taking a position, staying in the fresh air, being ahead is useful because it helps to reduce distortion to some extent. I see the soft one as a usable tire. “Then it could be like in Barcelona, where the majority of teams and drivers chose not to use it and only a few dared to use it in the first round.” Watch out for the triple pit stop. Despite the necessary differences, the strategic similarities with Barcelona are many: “In terms of disruption, we are in line with what we saw in Barcelona. The properties of asphalt are similar: very old and with high macro roughness. This creates more heat than in Spain, heat in the rubber and a lot of hysteresis causing thermal degradation. In Barcelona, thermal degradation was seen on both axles, but the front suffered slightly more. However, the side that suffers the most here is the rear part because there is more traction area at low speed. The front also struggles in fast corners, but ultimately it is the management of temperatures at the rear that allows you to maintain a good race pace.” Berra argues that a triple stop in Austria is also a valid option as long as you stay away from traffic: “In Barcelona the leading group of drivers managed to gain a significant advantage in terms of seconds to always be able to return to the track in clear air. This is an important point. “Even today we are not ruling out the possibility that someone might attempt a triple stop, because with such high distortions someone might be aggressive and try something different.” Guenther Iby/SEPA.Media /Getty Images Of course, teams can change their tactics, especially Ferrari, who can rely on two cars to challenge the Silver Arrows this time: “They can try different strategies to put pressure on Mercedes. This makes the race interesting. Of course, traffic management may be more difficult here than in Barcelona, but this will result in you losing some of your base time and causing your tires to deteriorate a bit. It allows you to slide further and therefore produce more heat. In my opinion, although there are some straights and important braking points here, being able to pass the car in front is an even more important factor,” concludes Berra.
Automobile Magazine – Formula1 English, News
2026-06-28 20:23:00
Automobile Magazine, 2026-06-28 20:54:00, automobilemagazine.com.tr
Automobile Magazine – English News
Source link 2026-06-28 19:00:00
