The pre-season tests in Barcelona were the first time that the teams and drivers were able to experience the behavior of the new Pirelli 18-inch tires on the 2022 single-seaters, for which they were really designed, after having tested in Abu Dhabi with 2021 cars modified for the occasion.
Taking into account that there are many other novelties for this course, the tires were not the most important topic of conversation in the paddock on the Spanish track, which indicates that this change has not made a significant difference.
However, Carlos Sainz rode the most kilometers in the winter tests throughout the week, and he believes that the new Pirelli will allow the drivers to push harder in the race, something that has been requested in recent seasons.
“I did quite a few tests last year, I think three or four with the compounds, and they seem to suit this generation of cars well, at least it gives you the option to push harder on them.”
“Respecting other seasons, maybe there is a little less overheating, also less degradation, but there is still it. They are still tires that wear out with overheating, but it is something similar, and the work done by Pirelli last year seems to is starting to bear fruit,” explained the Ferrari driver.
The Spaniard also indicated that there is now a potentially longer reference time (known as delta time) between the compounds, something that should give excitement to the grand prix.
“It seems there is also quite a big gap between the tyres, which is something that in the past seasons there was not. For example, the C2, C3 and C4 were very close to each other.
“In Barcelona it seems that a step forward has been made between one compound and another, so I could mix things up a bit in the race,” Sainz continued. “In that sense, there are some differences compared to last year.”
Valtteri Bottas was another of those who explained the behavior of the 18-inch Pirelli, saying that they seemed to work more efficiently in the Alfa Romeo compared to the mule car he got into at Yas Marina.
“I have to say I was expecting worse. Based on what I noticed in Abu Dhabi at the end of last year, we had a bit of graining, and it was a very small problem here,” said the Finn.
“So with the limited amount of laps I’ve done so far, it’s gone pretty well, but we’ll look into it better in Bahrain,” Bottas added.
Alex Albon, who is back in Formula 1 after a season away, warned that the low temperatures in Barcelona could have favored the tyres: “The working windows seem to be a bit more forgiving, but it’s hard to say, because it makes pretty cold in here right now.”
“It’s always noticeable at this time of year in Barcelona, in Bahrain we’ll see when the temperatures rise, but at the moment it’s quite positive,” said the Williams driver.
For his part, Lance Stroll, who got into the new Aston Martin AMR22, was somewhat less optimistic than his fellow members of the grid: “For me, the behavior has been very similar to that of 2021”.
“From what I’ve noticed on long runs, they overheat and degrade. Those are things the tires have done in previous years,” concluded the Canadian.
