Pirelli’s Mario Isola: “There is still going to be a lot of attention paid to the rear tyres”

The rear tyres will be under particular scrutiny in the last race of the season, according to Mario Isola. The modifications made to the Yas Marina circuit back in 2021 increased the speed, balancing out the work required from the tyres.

As the characteristics of the Yas Marina circuit aren’t particularly demanding, Pirelli has chosen the three softest compounds for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The white-walled C3 tyres are the hardest in the mix, with the yellow C4 tyres acting as the medium compound which is most popular for the teams operating on a two-stop strategy. The C5 is the softest compound, these tyres last year won the ORACLE Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen his first ever Drivers Championship after he pitted under the safety car and swapped out his medium tyres for a set of fresh soft.

Yas Marina is made up of sixteen corners as well as some fast sections that allow the drivers to create a slipstream, particularly down the straights. Aerodynamics, at Abu Dhabi, are paramount to guaranteeing a strong performance and optimal tyre management and degradation. One of the most important factors to consider when securing a solid is falling track temperatures. The asphalt isn’t abrasive at the track, which warrants the softer compounds, however, the falling temperatures can impact the team’s choice of tyres.

This is the final race of the season and the lights of Abu Dhabi are rapidly approaching to close what has been a spectacular season.

“At Abu Dhabi, a truly thrilling season comes to an end,” said Isola, “Last year’s modifications to some of the straights and corners on the Yas Marina track have made the circuit faster, balancing the longitudinal and lateral demands on the tyres – whereas previously it was more about traction and braking.”

“Despite these changes to the layout, there is still going to be a lot of attention paid to the rear tyres in order to guarantee the best traction over long stints.

As well as the highly anticipated last race of the season, Abu Dhabi will see a full day of testing for the 2023 slick compounds, which have been in production behind the scenes through the season, with most of the fine-tuning occurring during the USA and Mexico Grand Prix weekends.

“On the Tuesday after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the 2023 slick tyres will be tried out during a full day of testing, where the teams will be able to decide their run plans as well as which drivers to use: race drivers or young drivers,” Isola added.

Credit: Pirelli Media