Fernando Alonso, from the Aston Martin F1 Team AMR24, took part in the Formula 1 World Championship at the Miami Grand Prix on Friday, May 3, 2024. The event took place at the Miami International Autodrome, in the city of Miami, Florida, USA.
The Chief Engineer of Pirelli, Simone Berra, noted that the tire behavior during the Sprint Qualifying session on Friday, at the Miami International Autodrome, was unusual. According to the sporting regulations, the drivers were required to use specific tire compounds in each segment of the Sprint Qualifying. The medium tire was used in CS1 and CS2, while the soft tire was used in CS3.
The track temperatures on Friday exceeded 45 degrees, resulting in an anomaly during CS2 and CS3. Normally, lap times increase as the sessions progress, but this was not the case towards the end of CS2 and CS3. Surprisingly, the fastest lap time with the medium tire in CS2, set by Lando Norris from McLaren, was faster than Max Verstappen’s pole position time with the soft tire.
Berra described the Sprint Qualifying as unusual, noting that the track conditions did not lead to a significant improvement in lap times during CS3. This is different from the usual pattern, where there is a noticeable improvement when transitioning from the medium tire to the soft tire. A more in-depth analysis of the data is needed to understand this phenomenon.
The slower lap times with the soft tire compared to the medium tire add more uncertainty to the already unpredictable nature of an F1 Sprint weekend. However, Berra believes that the medium tire is the most suitable choice for the short race on Saturday. He doesn’t completely rule out the soft tire, as it can provide a grip advantage in the early laps. Some drivers starting from lower positions on the grid may opt for the soft tire to gain positions at the start before managing the situation and potentially holding their position if a group of cars forms.
If the peculiar characteristics of the tires persist during the Grand Prix Qualifying on Saturday afternoon, unexpected results may occur as drivers deal with challenging conditions. Both Verstappen and Norris had grip issues on their CS3 laps on Friday, resulting in Verstappen securing pole position and Norris dropping to ninth place, despite leading CS2.
