F1 tyre challenge bigger than ever in 2020 – Racing Point

Formula 1 teams face an even “harder” time dealing with tyres this season even though Pirelli’s products are unchanged for this season, reckons Racing Point’s Andrew Green.

With teams having unanimously rejected a 2020 prototype tyre following a test in Abu Dhabi last year, the decision was made to stick with the 2019 construction and compounds.

While that means teams are in a unique situation of having the same tyres for a second year, Racing Point’s technical director says changes to the tyre pressures required to cope with the increase in car performance will pose a headache.

“I think the tyres are becoming more and more challenging,” said Green when asked by Motorsport.com about the impact this season of using the same engine.

“As the load from these cars increases, and because we’re left with the same fundamental tyre and construction, I think it becomes a lot harder for us to get to run these tyres.

“We are saying that already, and I think with directives that are coming out regarding the way we can use the tyres as well, that is going to make it even harder.

“So I think that the tyre challenge, it’s probably harder now this year than it’s ever been. It definitely is for us. Even though the construction and compound have stayed the same, the cars have evolved, and that’s fundamentally the challenge.”

Green said that the impact of the pressure change would be felt more in the races than in qualifying, when teams would not feel the limitations as much.

“I think one lap is still relatively straightforward, but over a long distance it is a very, very big challenge,” he said. “A very big challenge.”

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