Arguably the most interesting tyre story at pre-season testing is not the new compounds, or the change in construction, but the resurfaced track.
According to Pirelli, this new surface is approximately three times smoother than previous years, which is going to have a huge affect on tyre performance, completely changing the team?s testing strategy.
Traditionally, tyre testing at Barcelona is largely unrepresentative. With ambient temperatures rarely getting above 16°C, the resulting track temperatures are never enough to get the tyres properly working within their working range. Add to this the fact that the Barcelona circuit was relatively rough, with the lateral loads in Turn 3 destroying the front left, the drivers have to spend most of their lap managing ?cold graining?.
This is essentially where the compound is not warm enough and becomes relatively brittle, resulting in a lack of grip and as the car slides, the surface of the tyre begins to tear. The end result is a much finer graining pattern than conventional graining but this still reduces grip significantly.
The new surface was only completed at the end of January this year, and at the beginning of February, Pirelli measured the macro and micro roughness of the track.
Turn 3 at Barcelona subjects the front left to huge lateral loads, making it the most susceptible tyre to cold graining and wear
?The macro roughness in particular is much smoother because when the tarmac is new the aggregate is very close and ther...