After the winter break, the wait is lastly virtually over. Beginning tomorrow, the Method 1 groups will return to the monitor in Sakhir for the one official check session earlier than the beginning of the 2025 season, which is able to happen in mid-March in Melbourne.
For the groups, which have already coated their first kilometers throughout filming days, this would be the solely alternative to correctly fine-tune their vehicles with out the same old restrictions current throughout filming days, the place, for instance, demo tires are used. Three days of testing, totaling 24 hours on monitor—from 10 AM to 2 PM and from 3 PM to 7 PM native time—will start to outline the preliminary aggressive steadiness.
In comparison with 2024, there is a crucial change to remember. Whereas final 12 months’s tires had been basically a continuation of these launched in mid-2023, permitting groups to already perceive a few of their traits, this season’s tires can be solely new—not simply by way of compounds but in addition of their construction, which has been modified to accommodate the growing a great deal of the vehicles.
The check may also function a chance to see the vary of tires that Pirelli has homologated for 2025 in motion. All six homologated dry-weather compounds can be accessible for the Sakhir exams, and they are often recognized as seen within the picture. The C1 and C2 can have white markings, the C3 and C4 can have yellow markings, whereas the C5 and the brand new C6 can have crimson markings. To additional differentiate them inside every group, three of those compounds won’t have aspect bands, whereas the remaining ones will.
After debuting within the 2024 Mexico and Abu Dhabi exams, the brand new C6 can be accessible to all groups this 12 months. That is the softest compound of all, supposed to be used in GPs held on road circuits or tracks that generate low power masses. Given the traits of Bahrain’s asphalt, which could be very aggressive on tires, it’s unlikely for use in Sakhir, a lot in order that solely two groups have chosen it.
As for the opposite compounds, the C1 stays the toughest, unchanged from 2024, and continues to be similar to final 12 months’s model, whereas the C2 has been moved nearer to the C3, which is essentially the most versatile by way of steadiness. The C4 has been developed to scale back graining, as has the C5.
For the Sakhir occasion, every staff was allowed to decide on as much as 35 units of tires, of which 30 will really be mounted on rims to be used on monitor. Nevertheless, inside these 35 units, groups might freely allocate their choice, and an evaluation of their selections reveals some fascinating insights.
Traditionally, Bahrain is a really demanding circuit for tires resulting from its aggressive asphalt, to the purpose that the three hardest compounds are historically chosen for the Grand Prix. Nevertheless, the Sakhir exams additionally function preparation for the championship, which is why the C3, essentially the most “intermediate” compound within the vary and the one almost certainly for use all through the season, may also be essentially the most utilized.
Mercedes is the staff that has chosen essentially the most C3 units, with 27, whereas Williams sits on the reverse excessive with solely 15 units of this compound. These two groups change locations on the subject of the C2: Carlos Sainz and Alexander Albon’s staff has chosen 12 units, specializing in the tougher tires, whereas George Russell and Kimi Antonelli can have solely two.
Talking of Mercedes, together with Ferrari, it’s the prime staff that has favored the softer compounds essentially the most. The Maranello squad will use solely three units of C1 and, notably, simply 4 units of C2, as an alternative prioritizing the C3. Apparently, Ferrari has additionally chosen to carry 5 units of C4 and, together with Williams, is the one staff to have chosen one set every of C5 and C6. This allocation means that Ferrari goals to raised perceive the best way to handle the warm-up part of the softer compounds in qualifying circumstances, an space the place the SF-24 had proven weaknesses.
The state of affairs is totally completely different for McLaren and Purple Bull, which have opted to concentrate on the tougher compounds. McLaren will carry 5 units of C1—fewer solely than Aston Martin and Alpine—together with 9 units of C2. Purple Bull, then again, has made a barely completely different choice, with solely two units of C1 however as many as 11 units of C2. It’s seemingly that a few of these units can be used for typical aerodynamic data-gathering exams.
It’s also fascinating to notice the alternatives of Aston Martin and Alpine, which have targeted solely on the toughest compounds, to the purpose of not bringing a single set of C4. Final 12 months, the AMR24 typically struggled with tire degradation, so it may be assumed that Aston Martin will conduct repeated medium-length stints throughout these exams to evaluate tire habits beneath completely different setup circumstances.
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