Yesterday, some drivers, including Joan Mir, complained about the performance of the preheated tires. What is meant by this term? Here to explain is Piero Taramasso, Circuit Race Manager for Michelin.
“These are tires that have been assigned to a team but not used – he said – And while they were on the team, they put on tire warmers and heated them to around 90 degrees Celsius. Since the tires were not used, they were sent back to us (as usual) and redistributed at a later date. “
Does this affect the performance of the tires?
“We have carried out extensive tests on our tires that have been kept in this preheated condition and these tests show that this does not adversely affect their performance. Our technicians carefully monitor and log the time each individual tire spends in warmers, ensuring that none of the tires remain in warmers for even close to the maximum amount of time. To emphasize this point, yesterday Jorge Martin and Enea Bastianini did their fastest laps in FP2 on preheated tires! “
Is this an isolated case for Qatar?
“No, but the many tests before the race and the two consecutive race weekends here made it much clearer.”
Have all teams warmed up and received tires, and which tires?
“Yes, all teams received the same amount of preheated tires, and it can be any type of tire – soft, medium or hard.”