F1 | Pirelli, Isola satisfied with performance at Suzuka

The head of the Italian company, Mario isola, said he was satisfied with the performance shown by the tires during the weekend in Suzuka.

There was some concern about abnormal tire wear after Friday's sessions, but Isola said this was due to existing rubber previously deposited on the surface after being blown away by typhoons in the area.

La Ferrari in particular, it complained about the high level of blistering on the compound supersoft. That was the fastest tire available to riders in Japan. Pirelli it also made more durable soft and medium compounds available to the teams.

Rain affected Saturday's practice and qualifying, meaning teams were concerned about degradation on race day with conditions much hotter than in previous sessions. However, tire wear did not prove to be a problem considering the times recorded by the two Mercedes di Lewis Hamilton e Valtteri Bottas, which preceded the Red Bull di Max Verstappen e Daniel Ricciardo.

“Given that the temperatures were much warmer than before, we knew there would be additional challenges on this very demanding track.”, explained Mario Isola after the grand prix.
“This was indeed the case, especially in the final stages of the race. But it did not compromise the action at all, as the numerous battles demonstrated.".

The longevity of the tires was aided by a safety car period following an initial contact between Kevin Magnussen e Charles Leclerc and a Virtual Safety Car when Leclerc had a technical failure.

“Thanks also to a safety car, most of the drivers were only able to make one stop. We also saw some very long stints on all three compounds. Many chose to finish the grand prix on the medium, the equivalent of last year's soft, despite the fact that this tire was not widely used in free practice, and in these hot conditions.".

Pirelli aims to renew the 2020/23 contract to continue supplying tires to Formula 1, but is in competition with the South Korean company Hankook.