Pirelli anticipates four stops at Sepang
The manufacturer had announced the same thing for Melbourne.
Pirelli says that for the Malaysian Grand Prix this weekend, teams will have to make three or four pit stops, and also announced that the temperature (higher than in Australia) will degrade the tires more quickly than in Melbourne.
The winter predictions of four or five stops per race proved to be false in Melbourne, where only a few drivers stopped three times, the majority of drivers stopped twice, and Sauber’s driver Sergio Pérez surprised everyone by stopping only once.
But the head of motorsports at Pirelli, Paul Hembery, announces that tire wear will be more significant at Sepang.
« We were absolutely delighted with our first Grand Prix in Australia, but we are aware that in Malaysia, things should be very different, with high temperatures and accelerated degradation. We had been saying throughout the Australian Grand Prix that we wanted to see two or three stops there, but in Malaysia I think we should reach three or even four stops. »
Pirelli will once again take advantage of its exemption to test additional tires during Friday practice, and will provide each driver with two extra sets of tires.
The teams will have two sets of soft tires available during Friday’s free practice sessions for evaluation purposes. With testing not permitted during the season, this gives us a valuable opportunity to gather more data and feedback, while it will also provide the teams with an interesting preview of what might happen in the future.
