F1 | Pirelli, Isola: “I expect an improvement of 1 seconds per lap compared to last year”

The performance surge of 2017 will continue next season too. The aerodynamic development of the cars and the new compounds Pirelli, in fact, will involve a further step forward: “In terms of lap times, we will have faster lap times this year, because we have to consider the development of the cars which will probably be around one second per lap as an average" - he has declared Mario isola, Director of Pirelli Motorsport, to the editorial staff of Motorsport. “Especially at the beginning of the season, we plan to use softer compounds (compared to 2017, ed.), therefore, according to my expectations, we should be faster than last year by an average of 1 seconds per lap: it's another big step".

Isola then focused on the real novelty of 2018: the compound Hypersoft, the softest of the entire range. “Hypersoft in Abu Dhabi (during the November tests, ed.) it was a second faster than the Ultrasoft, so it's an extreme compound. I don't like to define it as a qualifying compound, it was also developed to be used on some street circuits or those that are not very harsh on the tyres. I'd like to see Hypersoft in some races this year, Monaco it will probably be the race in which we will use it for the first time".

A higher level of performance, obviously, will result in shorter tire life: “The performances will be exceptional, but the degradation will also be high: it is the normal compromise between performance and wear. The degradation in Abu Dhabi was quite high, as it is a very soft compound. This is why we will bring three compounds for each event".

Federico Martino