Formula 1 Racing

How new darker track surface could be defining factor in Brazilian GP

Sets of Medium and Hard Pirelli tyres used by McLaren

Formula 1 teams and tyre supplier Pirelli have arrived at this weekend’s Brazilian Grand Prix braced for a more unpredictable weekend than normal.

While the track layout itself is unchanged from previous years, what is different is the asphalt – which has been completely resurfaced since last year’s event.

Newly laid tracks add a huge degree of uncertainty at grands prix, as teams are never sure about the impact it can have on grip levels.

At some venues in the past – perhaps most famously Turkey in 2020 – if the track has not been treated properly then it can trigger a massive drop in grip and cause huge headaches for drivers and teams.

At the other end of the spectrum, a new surface that offers some decent grip but has not been rubbered in can result in cars sliding a bit more, which has a negative impact on tyre degradation.

What Brazil will deliver is hard to be sure of right now, with the final answer only coming from the first practice session when drivers get to run out on track for the first time.

As Alpine’s Esteban Ocon said: “This weekend there’s new challenges ahead, a lot of unknowns for everyone, looking at how the tarmac is and the degradation. How it can be and the grip level? We don’t know.”

Sets of Medium and Hard Pirelli tyres used by McLaren

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

What the first data says

There are some early signs though of what to expect – and it points towards an especially exciting F1 weekend.

Early analysis from Pirelli’s engineers of the Brazil surface shows that there are no major alarm bells ringing over the grip on offer.

Autosport has learned that the micro roughness of the Interlagos surface shows a 46% drop compared to last year, with macro roughness indicating a 30% drop.

That would point towards the track in theory offering less grip than last year, which could result in more sliding and therefore higher tyre temperatures and more degradation.

But a deeper dive into the overall grip levels, based on the chemical adhesion interaction of the track/tyre, has shown that the situation is not actually too different to previous years.

Brazil has traditionally not been a venue that offers a lot of grip, and some of the data collected ahead of the weekend suggests that some corners may actually be an improvement on before.

George Russell, Mercedes F1 W14, Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing RB19, Lance Stroll, Aston Martin AMR23

George Russell, Mercedes F1 W14, Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing RB19, Lance Stroll, Aston Martin AMR23

Photo by: Simon Galloway…

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