DOHA, Qatar — Components One’s 10 groups will discover out if the Qatar Grand Prix shall be a compulsory three-stop race a number of hours earlier than it begins.
The FIA and F1’s tyre provider Pirelli will use Saturday night time to analyse tyre knowledge from the day’s dash shootout and dash race, following issues raised from the primary day of monitor operating in Losail.
Tyre evaluation from Friday’s one and solely follow session discovered that any set of tyres used for roughly 20 laps have been displaying indicators of structural fatigue.
That prompted fears of failures for any tyres used for longer spells, an apparent security concern forward of Sunday’s 57-lap grand prix.
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Tweaks have been made to a few of Losail’s 50mm ‘pyramid kerbs’ forward of Saturday’s slate of monitor motion, with monitor limits moved 80cm nearer to the centre line of the circuit at Turns 12 and13 to dissuade drivers from driving the kerbs at excessive velocity.
Drivers may nonetheless be compelled to pit thrice on Sunday — with now not than 20 laps on a set of recent tyres and 22 laps on a set of used tyres — if the information remains to be a priority.
The groups will meet with Pirelli and the FIA at 2pm native time on Sunday, six hours earlier than the race, to find the findings and the subsequent steps.
Whereas drivers appeared to agree with the security measures taken, it prompted a mix of responses. Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz was upset drivers came upon by means of the media stories on Saturday moderately than by means of the FIA.
“If it is necessary for security then we’ve to do it,” Sainz stated. “What I do not admire and do not like is that we have been right here in 2021, within the meantime there’s been two years to react to those unhealthy curbs, there’s been a resurface, there’s been a redone of the curbs, and for some purpose the FIA continued with this design of curbs which might be killing Pirelli tyres. I am not blaming Pirelli however clearly there’s something happening there.
“And on the identical time we arrived in the present day within the morning and we see the information within the press. No-one informs us that there is going to be monitor limits, then no-one tells us that the tire is delaminating or something like that and we’ve to study issues from the press which is clearly not how issues ought to be performed.
“Because the GPDA [Grand Prix Drivers’ Association] we weren’t proud of the state of affairs and we hope that the collaboration begins getting higher as a result of if not studying issues within the press when our security is concerned and our enter ought to be thought-about shouldn’t be adequate.”
Max Verstappen, who was topped a three-time champion within the dash on Saturday night, saying it was irritating the FIA would make modifications this week however are much less prepared to take action when drivers have issues at different occasions.
“I believe it is by no means in fact an excellent search for the game,” he stated. “However let’s first wait and see what they provide you with, what the evaluation after the dash race, what their findings are. For certain, even within the dash race, you might see there was a variety of deg within the entrance tires, particularly the entrance left was carrying lots. So yeah, it’s extremely powerful round right here.
“In fact they already modified two corners within the excessive velocity corners, which I discover fairly attention-grabbing, how rapidly these items may be modified, however after we talk about we need to have monitor limits modified right here and there with the white line or no matter, it is all very onerous.
“I believe that is additionally one thing for the longer term that we have to talk about, as a result of I believe we should be heard much more, and basically, I believe tomorrow it is necessary that security is foremost, and that we do not get any punctures or worse accidents. So let’s examine what occurs tonight.”