Tyre blisters on a Mercedes, Circuit de Catalunya, 2018

Pirelli believes it has solved blistering problem for 2019

2019 F1 season

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Pirelli is confident the changes to its tyres for the 2019 F1 season have addressed the problem with blistering it experienced last year.

Formula 1’s official tyre supplier used special, thinner-tread rubber for last year’s Spanish, French and British rounds in response to the blistering several teams experienced during pre-season testing. The thinner rubber will be used at all races this year.

The teams had their first chance to test Pirelli’s full tyre range for 2019 in last year’s post-season test in Abu Dhabi. However motorsport director Mario Isola said the Yas Marina circuit does not generate the same high energy levels which provoked the blistering at venues such as Silverstone.

“On this track in some conditions you mask a little bit the differences,” Isola explained following the test. “I believe that in different tracks they will feel the differences more.

“If I compare just the reduction in tread thickness, that is one of the new characteristics that we decided to implement in the new tyres. This [reduced] the blisters massively at Barcelona, Paul Ricard and Silverstone.

“And in Barcelona we had a clear comparison made by all the teams because they had a pre-season test but in Silverstone, for example, we were there for our tyre development test we compare the normal version with the reduced one and it was clear that the normal one was going to blister a lot but the reduced one was a lot better.

“So I believe that we have a confirmation of the differences of the new tyres probably more in circuits where the level of energy is higher. Here also during the race we didn’t have any blister so comparison is more difficult.”

Some drivers reported they felt little difference between the new tyres and the previous rubber. “The tyres are not a revolution compared to last year,” Isola agreed. “It’s not a big change like it was in 2017.”

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14 comments on “Pirelli believes it has solved blistering problem for 2019”

  1. Good news for Bottas.

  2. what about the performance problem? No? Ok

    1. Believe it or not – F1 wants Pirelli to supply these kinds of tires

  3. Anything that makes the tyres not deteriorate with heat is good IMO.

    If up to me I’d have tyres perform better the hotter they get and see more racing ‘in anger’.
    I’ll even accept the extra moaning about the SC going too slow ;)

  4. They will make tyres that just explode before they ever get a chance to blister.

  5. I believe I can flyyyyyyyy!

  6. Except from a calender there has been nothing good coming from Pirelli.

  7. Oh no, that would be Mercedes friendly tyre. Tyre blistering used to be Mercedes non performing factor…

    1. On the surface it looks like this favours Mercedes, but don’t forget that the other teams may have compromised their setups or designs to prevent the blistering problem, in ways that Mercedes either didn’t want to or couldn’t. This is probably a boon for all teams.

  8. Is Mercedes still the team most concerned with blistering? If so I hope other teams can increase performance, otherwise Merc will just get a break.

    1. They are not the only concerned team. Theres no telling who will benefit most from this “solution”.

  9. Am I the only one that wasn’t all that bothered by blistering. It forced drivers to have to bring their cars up to speed rather than blast off from lap 1 on them and some did that better than others.

    Blistering was only supposed to happen if a driver leant hard on them too early and I thought that last year on the occasions it occurred that was pretty much the way it planned out.

    There was always the option of using a harder compound rather than take the risk but teams and drivers tend to ignore that one and “manage” around it in favour of track position.

    What we really need is for tyres to produce more options for teams to attempt a wider variety of strategies rather than take variables like blistering away.

    1. Racing is going full speed and full g’s in corners. Thanks to Pirelli they are cruising around to save the tyres half of the race. I agree with your statement.

      1. Thanks to *FIA*. FTFY.

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