Pirelli, the Formula 1 tire supplier, has shared details about the upcoming Bahrain Grand Prix, which will take place in Sepang, Malaysia. The event, initially scheduled for April, has been rescheduled due to conflicts in Iran, resulting in an agreement with the FIA and Malaysian authorities.
This return to Sepang, which has not hosted a Formula 1 race since 2017, represents a significant challenge, especially for Pirelli. The brand’s sporting director, Dario Marrafuschi, has commented that, due to the lack of recent data, they will have to rely on the experiences from that year’s race.
Marrafuschi emphasized that 2017 was the year when wider tires were introduced, and that the balance between the tire dimensions and the current vehicles is reasonably similar. Therefore, Pirelli will opt for a selection of tires that follows the line of 2017, specifically the medium, soft, and supersoft compounds.
Furthermore, the director noted that, due to the urgency, they will not be able to send personnel to Malaysia for further analysis. This means that the tires will have to be sent by air, a logistics challenge that adds complexity to the process.
Flexibility in the face of a volatile calendar is a priority for Pirelli, which must be prepared to respond to different scenarios. With seven weeks’ notice required for races in Europe, planning for the final race of the season may also present additional challenges, especially with unusual temperatures in Emilia-Romagna at the end of December, which could influence tire choices.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
