Because of the new tarmac at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona, Pirelli has opted to make their tyres thinner, as the fresh surface should be smoother and gripper.
The new surface increases stress on the tyres, which is why Pirelli thinks the right move is to introduce special new tyres that have thinner treads. The Italian tyre manufacturer thinks it can reduce rear tyre temperatures by up to 10 degrees Celcius.
“We decided to reduce the thickness because not having wear is not really an issue,” Isola explained.
“With less wear they can run longer stints depending if they can manage the degradation.
"But we saw very low degradation with the new Tarmac, so it is a quick pace with low wear and low degradation.”
This could lead to more blistering though, Isola warned. Mercedes already complained about blistering during pre-season testing in Barcelona earlier this year.
“It’s possible because we have quite a high temperature in the compounds,” Isola added.
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