Pirelli: Sepang is one of the major challenges of the year

Weather conditions, layout of the track... Sepang should reserve one of the most complicated races of the year for the Italian manufacturer of the F1 Pirelli. Faced with the demands of the event in Malaysia, the Milanese firm chose to bring the most resistant rubber in its range, with soft, medium and hard tires. The latter have also been nominated as compulsory sets of tires during the Grand Prix.

“In terms of extreme conditions that provide a real test for tires, Malaysia is just above everything we see during the year, says Paul Hembery, boss of Pirelli Motorsport.

This is due to the extremely high temperatures, as well as the high loads during fast cornering. The weather can also change in an instant. Sepang tends to be quite a varied weekend where the evolution of the track is difficult to follow. »

Like the Red Bull Ring in Austria or the Hungaroring, this development will be all the more complicated to understand, since the track has undergone resurfacing since the last arrival of F1 in 2015. Hence, in particular, a level of grip different from that experienced these last years. In this context between uncertainty and extreme conditions, Pirelli expects multiple strategies for the race.

“We have seen a large number of stoppages in the past and we expect several stoppages from drivers this year, continues Hembery. This opens up an even wider range of variables when it comes to potential race strategies, especially since teams now have three compounds to choose from. »