Pirelli warns drivers of new challenges at Spa-Francorchamps
F1 News
- GPblog.com
The Belgian Grand Prix promises to be another exciting weekend for Formula One. After a four-week summer break, the sport returns to Spa-Francorchamps for the second half of the season. The changes to the track will be quite a challenge for the drivers.
The three middle compounds have been chosen for the race in Belgium. Pirelli will take the C2 as the hard tyre, the C3 as the mediums and finally the C4 will serve as the soft tyre this weekend. Pirelli mentions the unpredictable weather that Spa-Francorchamps is known for. The tyre supplier therefore expects a real possibility that the drivers will use the intermediates and full wets during the weekend.
"New changes bring new challenges, but the epic nature of Spa is still the same", echoes Pirelli boss Mario Isola on the official website. "This year, Spa has undergone some of the biggest changes we have seen since we started going there in the modern era of Formula 1. But we know something of what to expect thanks to the 24-hour race last month as well as some asphalt samples that we have taken."
Isola warns drivers
There is new asphalt in five corners and there are also new gravel traps in Turn 1, 6, 7 and 9. The gravel contains sharp stones that caused many punctures during the 24 Hours of Spa last month. "Drivers will need to pay more attention to track limits, and there’s also an increased chance of sharp gravel being dragged onto the surface", says Isola, warning drivers in advance.