Pirelli: Hembery, “With such poor data today, we will have a truly unpredictable qualifying”

Pirelli F1 – There was little action on the track today in Monte Carlo: the second free practice session was interrupted by heavy rain. Since no bad weather is forecast for the next few days, the teams preferred not to take risks, also considering the proximity of the infamous Monegasque barriers.

After a storm last night, FP1 started on a damp track, so all the riders mounted intermediate Cinturato Green tyres. When it dried, everyone switched to the P Zero Yellow soft, tires nominated together with the brand new P Zero Red supersoft expected to make their championship debut, as per the regulations, in the afternoon session. The softest tire in the Pirelli range, which this year features a new construction and a new compound, was mounted today in FP3 only by Pastor Maldonado, but it was not a test as he immediately returned to the pits after just one very hard lap. wet. In case of a dry track, the other riders will be able to try the supersoft for the first time during Saturday's FP3.

With 10 minutes left in the session, Fernando Alonso went out again on intermediate tyres, to assess grip levels on a drying surface in order to calculate the crossover point: the point at which it is best to switch to slick tyres. The Spaniard was joined by a handful of other riders at the end of the session, all on intermediate tyres.

Today, all types of tires brought to Monaco by Pirelli were used, as, at a certain point, the Cinturato Blue wet was also fitted.

Compared to previous years, the Monte Carlo circuit today presented some innovations: firstly, 80% of the track has been resurfaced; Furthermore, some barriers have been moved. Ambient temperatures remained below 15 degrees centigrade throughout the day: this factor also influenced the driving conditions.

Lewis Hamilton was fastest in both sessions, again on the soft tyre. The Englishman set the best time at the end of FP1 and the beginning of FP2.
Hamilton's best time today on the soft, 1m17.192s, was still faster than the best time in FP2 in 2014, set by Alonso on the supersoft (1m18.482s).

Tomorrow there will be no activities related to Formula One; only the GP2 will take to the track.

Separately from the official GP2 sessions, former driver Martin Brundle will demonstrate a GP2 car equipped with prototype tires which have a larger format than the current ones.

Paul Hembery, Pirelli Motorsport Director: “We didn't see very significant laps today. I feel sorry for the fans who didn't see much action on the track. Our new supersoft tires will therefore only be actually tested for the first time on Saturday morning and it will be a crucial moment in terms of defining the strategies and set-up of the race. While it is difficult to extrapolate data from today's session, the new asphalt should further reduce wear and degradation on what is already the least tiring track of the year for tyres. This makes a one-stop strategy feasible, although some teams may try to gain an advantage by doing something different. With such poor data today, we will have a truly unpredictable qualifying. Before then, tomorrow we will show a new GP2 tire concept, which underlines our ability to produce different tire solutions to meet every request.”