RW 19 – Tyre Selection

Formula 1 is back and this year’s United States Grand Prix is the first leg of an all-American triple-header also sees changes to the track at COTA as most of it has been resurfaced.

The abrasiveness of the track could therefore have changed since last year, given that a new layer of bitumen is usually smoother than an old track surface.

The compounds chosen are the same as those used for the past two editions of the Austin round which are, C2 (Hard), C3 (Medium), C4 (Soft).

In terms of the forces exerted on the tyres, the loads at COTA are fairly evenly distributed between the front and rear axles, and are more lateral that vertical.
Usually, degradation is thermal and is therefore linked to the ambient temperature which in Texas in October can fluctuate considerably from one day to the next.

In terms of strategy, we will need to wait and see how the new surface may affect it. But with Saturday’s Sprint that should provide plenty of useful data.
In last year’s short race, the Medium was chosen by the majority of drivers, although some risked the soft.

Normally a two stop has always been the quickest here, especially as a one-stop involves a lot of careful degradation management.