Pirelli‘s Head of Car Racing Mario Isola was happy with how the tyres performed at Suzuka for the 2018 Japanese Grand Prix, despite the warmer temperatures compared to the usual weather conditions of previous years.
“With temperatures being so much warmer than they have been up to now, we knew that there would be some additional challenges at this very demanding track.” said Isola.
“This was indeed the case, especially in the closing stages of the race, but it did not compromise the action at all, as the many impressive fightbacks showed.
With two safety car periods, not only did they close the field up, they also allowed the teams the chance to change their pitstop strategy to maximise tyre usage.
“Thanks also to an early safety car most drivers were able to make just one stop, and we also saw some very long stints on all three compounds.
“Many chose to finish the grand prix on the medium – the equivalent of last year’s soft – despite the fact that this tyre wasn’t used extensively in free practice, and not at all in these warm conditions.”
