razorbum wrote:Well I was not a fan of F1 then. Sure hope we go towards there!
I think the different compound can still be there for the excitement each race, but with only 1 compound to be used each weekend. I think the teams should be more involved before the race, but when it's the race it's all up to the drivers to fight it out.
Then maybe we can see more defensive drive like what Hamilton did to Maldonado instead of using the tires to get away. I honestly enjoyed that (before they crashed)
Welcome to F1 and to the forum as well.
Prior to 2007, Michelin competed against Bridgestone, and each company brought two compounds to each race. Their respective teams would then test those compounds, called prime and option, on Friday to determine which was best suited for the prevailing conditions that weekend. Those tires then became the ones they used for both qualifying and the race.
The teams' success waxed and waned largely on the performance of their tires. For instance, Ferrari's five-year stranglehold on the World Championship was broken in 2005 by a new requirement that a single set of tires had to last throughout all of qualifying and the entire race. Bridgestone was not up to this task, and its teams, including Ferrari, suffered dearly.
(Incidentally, that rule was discarded in short order.)
Because tires were so important, teams spent a lot of time testing them. It got so ridiculous and expensive that the FIA decided F1 should use a single tire supplier. It was hoped this would contain costs and de-emphasize the importance of tires in the sport. Bridgestone became that supplier in 2007.
That's when the two-compound requirement was introduced to F1. Without it, no one would have even so much as thought of the tires, and that's not good for a tire company that uses motorsport as advertising. So, the two-compound rule is nothing but a marketing gimmick to keep people talking. Pirelli has taken that tactic to the extreme.
At any rate, that's a very condensed version of recent tire happenings in F1. I'm sure others will point out things I've missed.
(Funny how F1 made it a big point to diminish the role of the tires, and now, just over five years later, tires are right back at the forefront. History, as they say ...)
