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Kevin Olsen
Circuit of The Americas on the eve of the USGP
All eyes are on Austin this morning, as the world awaits the start of the 2012 Formula 1 United States Grand Prix. Since inception, the concept of having Formula 1 back in the U.S. has sparked global conversation about the future of the sport in America. Today, American motorsport will be redefined as the highest class of racing takes to the track for the first F1 Grand Prix in the U.S. since 2007.
There have been two changes for the 2012 Formula 1 season which have made it one of the best in many years. Arguably, the most important feature which has given F1 eight different winners and many thrilling races so far this season is the change in tire performance.
Today we sat down with Pirelli Motorsport Director Paul Hembery to learn more about how tires would play a part in the outcome of this weekend’s race.
Earlier this year, molds of Circuit of The Americas were taken and laser scanned by Pirelli engineers. Once translated into a 3D model, engineers combined energy simulations supplied by teams to produce a performance model to allow testing of tire compounds. Using this data, Pirelli chose the P Zero Silver hard and P Zero White medium compound tires for the USGP; this combination is the same as what was used at Monza and Spa this year.
However nothing beats real world experience, and with feedback from practice and qualifying sessions now in the hands of Pirelli, there have been unexpected obstacles to overcome. The surface of COTA, explained Hembery, is smoother than simulations showed. When compared to circuits like Monza and Spa, both fast and harsh on tires, COTA is less abrasive, making harder tires more difficult to wear-in and reach the target performance zone.
In addition to the texture of the track, the cool fall temperature is also affecting performance, making it more difficult to get heat into the hard and medium compound tires and give them more grip. Each of these factors, Hembery explained, means that Pirelli could have opted for softer tires, making their choice a bit “conservative” for the USGP.
To some extent, this means the hard and medium tires could last the entire race themselves even though both must be used for at least one lap. The grip fall-off, which has played a critical role in effecting the strategy and delivered many exciting races this year, will not be a factor tomorrow and should be very predictable now that both compounds have been tested on track.
The fan favorite feature of COTA, Turn 1, might put significant vertical load on the tires, but Hembery assured that the tire structure is significantly over-engineered, and there is no risk of failures from the high loads going up into Turn 1.
The 2012 season has been incredibly exciting and Pirelli has played a key part in delivering the on-track race action. Now that the season is winding down, the development of the 2013 tire is underway. Pirelli's approach to the significant challenge of delivering a tire that improves race action has proven to be wildly successful. For 2013, Hembery explained, expect more. The tires will be more aggressive and the variations between compounds will ensure race action is even more dynamic.
Sebastian Vettel takes pole position at the 2012 USGP
A great qualifying session today at Circuit of The Americas in Austin. Hamilton and Vettel fought to the end as the Red Bull car edged out the McLaren with just over one tenth of a second between the two.
A strong penultimate qualifying lap from Vettel appeared to be enough to secure him the position. Shortly after Vettel’s fast lap, Hamilton completed his with just seconds to go in the final session. Managing only P3, Hamilton stayed out for another attempt to take pole position.
A Marussia F1 steering wheel
Thursday morning we were invited to for a tour of the Marussia garage, and without hesitation we responded yes, looking forward to seeing the first behind the scenes look at the grand prix team.
Our guide for the morning was Mark Scudamore, a Marussia team member who was enthusiastic about showing us the inner workings of the team. We spoke first outside the garage, discussing the challenges of moving the team to Austin from Abu Dhabi, and the rapid learning curve of the new facility.
The following is from AGP Guest Contributor Mike Boone. Be sure to follow Mike on Twitter this weekend as he reports from Circuit of The Americas and the Austin Fan Fest.
I am an Austinite, but I returned home via plane on Thursday before the grandest event Austin has ever seen. The Formula 1 race starts today but yesterday I was on a plane with about 100 New Yorkers and from what I could tell most of them were coming to Austin for the same reason: this weekend's Inaugural Formula 1 United States Grand Prix. One might think the busy, non-southern culture that is assumed to consume the Northeast would translate to the people from there as they travel. Not so. Everyone I have spoke to was thrilled about the race and they didn't appear to make any effort to contain their enthusiasm.
