FORMULA 1 GULF AIR BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX 2020 - SAKHIR.....PRACTICE 1/2/3▄▀▄▀ Spoilers ▀▄▀▄

Tire feedback from LH and Albon - https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/153794/hamilton-critical-of-pirelli-f1-2021spec-tyres


Lewis Hamilton has slammed Pirelli's new 2021-spec Formula 1 tyres after all teams and drivers ran them in practice ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix on Friday.

The revised construction was chosen after various prototypes were tested during Friday practice running at the Portuguese GP.

Pirelli analysed the data from the teams and the favoured options were then homologated for next season by the FIA.

All drivers had two sets of the new tyres to run in FP1 and FP2 in Bahrain, mainly to allow teams a chance to get a handle on them as they develop their packages for 2021.

Hamilton initially appeared to be reluctant to criticise the new tyres before not holding back, suggesting that the series should stick to the original plan and run the 2019 tyres for a third season.

"I'm trying my hardest not to say anything," Hamilton said when asked for his reaction to the 2021 tyres.

"What I want to say is weekend in, weekend out every year we've got a team here from Pirelli. I have the utmost respect for the guys that come here and load our tyres up, bring them here, and keep us safe. And they do an amazing job.

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"We've had the same tyre for the last two years. At the end of 2019 they brought a new tyre, which they normally do. And it was quite a bit worse. So then they just said, 'Okay, well now we just keep the tyre that we had from last year.'

"So they've had two years now to develop a better tyre. And we've arrived with a tyre that's three kilos heavier. And it's like a second worse per lap.

"And I know for the fans, that doesn't really make any difference. From a driver point of view, we're working with brands and partners who are at the forefront of technology, and elevating and moving forwards.

"And if you're going back after two years of development, I mean, I don't know what's happening. So it definitely doesn't feel good out there. And it's a worry.

"I prefer to just stay on these tyres. If that's all they've got, and that's the best they can do, which it clearly is, we'd be better just to stay with this tyre."

Hamilton added that it was not easy to optimise the regular race tyres for the Bahrain circuit given that the track is so different from the last event in Turkey.

"From my side we're not particularly happy with the balance I think we've got. But I think everyone's probably in a similar position out there, the track is quite slippery and it's gusty," he said.

"This track works the tyres completely night and day different to places like the last race in Turkey, and places like Portimao.

"So instead of doing a fast out-lap trying to get temperature in the tyres, you're trying to go slow on the out-lap to not put too much temperature in the tyres, because it generates a lot of heat. We definitely have some work to do."

Alex Albon agreed that the 2021 tyres were not ideal.

"They're slow," said the Red Bull driver. "And they're not really very grippy. I reckon they were over a second off what we have now, which doesn't bode too well. We'll see how it goes."

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That will buff out.

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Sebastian Vettel hopes Formula 1 abandons any plans to run the new tyres that were tested in Bahrain on Friday for next season, after expressing his unhappiness about them.

As part of Pirelli's push to revise its products for 2021, prototype versions of the new robust specification were tested by all drivers during practice at the Bahrain Grand Prix.

But with a host of drivers saying they did not like the new rubber, Vettel joined those in claiming he felt they were a step back and said he hoped they would be binned.

"They were not a step forward," he said. "The opposite pretty much. [It was] probably worth a shot, but I hope we don't see these tyres again. They are quite a lot worse compared to the tyres that we currently run."

 

Perez would consistently deliver points, Albon does not.

 

Albon should know a thing or two about tires not being grippy.......

 

The logic would be that this would be the case. The problem is that his mind would be permanently affected after the first qualifying against Max.

 

Depends on RB's attitude as well. I don't think an experienced driver like Perez will drop his game after the first qualifying in a new team against the prodigy who has worked with the team for many seasons. When RB starts the media campaign with the "We are in full support of him, although his results are lacking", that's when the worry starts RB does not have a second driver problem, they have a team problem

 

Pérez would run with less pressure than Albon: from being out of F1 to being in a better car than what he has now, what a fluke. Also he knows that his job wouldn't be to beat Verstappen. If he does, great, if not, just crashing less than Albon would be enough.

 

Pirelli race tires are as good as there street tires...which is - SUCKS. I wish F1 would allow other tire manufacturers in and Michelin would be the choice.

 

Then write to them and ask them (Michelin) to bid. Of course they won't as they killed their reputation at Indianapolis in 2005.

Have a nice day.

 

I don't think so. Checo is smart enough and mature enough to size up the situation and see the reality. Yes, the team is built around Max. But he would be on a team where he could realistically compete for podiums and even the odd win. Right now all Red Bull wants from Albon is that but he's not delivering. Albon out - Perez in.

 

FP3 is starting. Albon has a new chassis and gearbox, old power unit.

 

Who cares if they’re slower? It’s the same for everyone. The tires were reinforced to handle upcoming downforce increase of current cars next year. F1 also introduced the floor change to help the tires survive downforce development.

The front tires’ profile has changed so affecting the aero and this is probably causing some of the problem. Pretty sure the teams will get on top of this with aero development.

In any case, sounds like Merc are the loudest complainers—they even got Vettel to lobby for them—so if these new tires upset their car performance that can only be a good thing. Except watch Toto lobby the FIA for either cancellation of the new tires or a special (read secret) test or two.

 

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Appears the drivers are not thinking about the development aspect. Mercedes are since they ran them a bit longer. Pirelli say they are not going to keep the current spec tires. The new tires will be used. The new season is months away. There is time to adapt!

 

Prac 3 report - Lots of rear wing 'flex' for Max lol


Max Verstappen beat Lewis Hamilton to the top spot in final practice for Formula 1's 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix, with Valtteri Bottas in third.

Under clearer skies than Friday's FP1, the 60-minute final session got off to a fairly lifeless start, with most cars remaining in their garages for the opening 20 minutes.

Alfa Romeo's Kimi Raikkonen set the first timed lap of the session at the eight minute mark, a 1m31.247s that stood as the fastest time for nearly 15 minutes as the Finn continued to lap before he was joined by the two Williams cars.

When most of the rest of the pack eventually emerged, Raikkonen's team-mate Antonio Giovinazzi went quicker with a 1m31.025s before a flurry of faster times were set.

Lando Norris briefly headed the times with a 1m30.427s, before Alex Albon, Pierre Gasly and Sergio Perez improved - with the Racing Point driver lowering the P1 benchmark to a 1m30.159s.

A few minutes later all of the cars had appeared for the first time - no drivers bothered with the medium or hard tyres that are set to be much better race compounds compared to the softs, which the drivers have eight sets each compared to just two mediums and three hards.

Verstappen moved to the top of times just before 25 minutes had been completed with a 1m29.617s, while Mercedes only took second and 10th on its opening runs with Hamilton and Bottas.

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Just past the halfway point, Verstappen went quicker again with a 1m29.600s, on a lap where the top plane of his rear wing was flexing dramatically with the DRS opening activated.

The Red Bull driver completed his run, and his team were seen working on the rear wing when he returned to the garage.

At the start of the final 15 minutes, Mercedes, which sacrificed any set-up work on Friday to try and get a better understanding of the prototype 2021 tyres the teams had to run yesterday, had both its drivers improve on its final runs.

Bottas moved to the top of the times with a 1m28.721s, with the then fastest times in all three sectors, before Hamilton usurped him with a 1m28.618s - gaining time as the lap went on to end up 0.103s ahead.

But both were ultimately shuffled down by Verstappen, who's rear wing continued to flex on his final run, as he blitzed the opening two sectors and set a personal best in the final segment to go quickest with a 1m28.355s - 0.263s quicker than Hamilton's time.

Albon ended up fourth ahead of Carlos Sainz Jr and Gasly, with Lando Norris seventh in the second McLaren.

Daniil Kvyat was eighth for AlphaTauri, ahead of Racing Point pair Lance Stroll and Perez.

The Ferrari drivers finished 13th and 15th, with Sebastian Vettel ahead of Charles Leclerc, who so nearly won the 2019 race in Bahrain.

Hamilton's session had a somewhat unusual end as he was forced to stop at the end of the pitlane in the closing moments as the exit light turned red, which meant his mechanics had to run down from the Mercedes garage to recover his W11.

 

If Hamilton feels bad in that incredible Mercedes imagine how other drivers feel !

 

So the eight slowest cars in FP3 were the six Ferrari-powered cars and the two Williams? Ugh!!!

 

Nice change to be able to say that without meaning the Ferrari.

 

Not a good sign for the tifosi.