Pirelli’s greatest challenge since becoming Formula 1’s sole tire supplier in 2011 has been to reconcile its brief – to deliver tires whose performance drops off sharply beyond a given point – with the drivers’ desire to have rubber which they can push on through an entire stint. These two requirements might not be mutually exclusive but the ‘sweet spot’ between them is hard to find.
Nobody, least of all the drivers, wants to have races which settle into long processional phases where nobody dares push for fear of degrading their tires faster than rivals. When overtaking is difficult – either because track layout militates against it or car performance is too closely matched – guarding track position becomes the strategic imperative and teams look to minimise the number of pitstops they have to make.
