Isola on unique Zandvoort: 'Then the stress on the tyres is even greater'

This weekend marks the end of the summer break with the Dutch Grand Prix. After almost four weeks' break, F1 drivers will be back in action at Circuit Zandvoort. Pirelli boss Mario Isola knows that the track through the dunes will demand even more from the tyres.

Zandvoort is unique

In a press release from Pirelli, Isola explains why Circuit Zandvoort is unique. "The second half of the season gets underway with a unique race. The Dutch Grand Prix takes place in Zandvoort: one of the most traditionally demanding tracks on the calendar. It’s a very twisty track with two banked corners that are steeper than Indianapolis, by way of comparison. On corners like this, the stress on the tyres is greater than it would be through normal corners, as the vertical forces increase with the much higher speeds due to the banking."

Slightly different tyres at Zandvoort

The tyres used at Zandvoort this year are slightly different from the previous edition of the Dutch GP. "We’ve brought the same tyres as 2022, at least as far as the names are concerned: C1, C2, and C3. However, the current C1 is actually a new compound for this year, positioned between the C2 and the previous C1, which is now called the C0," Isola explains. So the hard tyre is slightly 'softer' than last year.