Nice article. They are sort of a game changer, but not as much as we would think. The tire performance is based much on car performance, not the other way around. Tires will offer small gains and losses in certain areas, but for the most part it's not a fall-on-your-sword type issue. The new super-soft compound for qualifying has my attention more than any other.
With the limited testing it's more about which team can adapt the quickest during the season. Think Mclaren and perhaps Red Bull, and with a push (depending on the accountants) Mercedes...Ferrari is always 50/50. They might cock it up completely or do fantastic.
I would imagine it would make quite a difference. In karting, when switching from MOJO to MG yellows we can see around a second difference in laps. Making up that same second with tuning the chassis is extremely difficult. Also the kart behaves completely different between the 2 different tires. In a race I was in we were using MG yellows and I was consistently at the top of the time sheets. The race organizers were worried about the blistering and changed the requirement to MG reds and my times dropped and i went to the back of the time sheets. I think tire's will definitely be a wildcard.
It really depends on how closely the new chassis and suspensions can utilize the tires. It is here that the designers shine or whine. So, how well they guessed at setup at the tests will determine to a large extent how the fare on the trcks next year. Sure, some tuning can be done, but if a couple designers make the mistakes that Brawn made last year, it will be a long and unpleasant season for them.
So for the first few races it might just be the battle of the suspension guys. I know Mercedes hired Toyota's chief suspension guy in November, and he had gobs of experience with the new Pirelli tires. Not sure how much of a part that would play since he sort of arrived late in MB02 developement.
As said above, testing is really key here. With such a short window, it's really going to come down to the ones who can adjust their chassis accordingly. I don't think it will be a wildcard, seeing as everybody is on the same rubber. I wouldn't put it past some of the underdogs to come through and really adapt fast. After seeing Red Bull win, that's SERIOUS inspiration all across the board. Should be a good season.
I think we're all forgetting something here, and it's not tires. The KERS systems have come quite a way since 2009. They are lighter, more powerful, and there is no limit on how they can be designed. If not more interesting than tires, it is at least as interesting.
"You can't please all the people all the time"; Cheers, Ian http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/89284
Great read and thanks for posting. Pirelli, just make them so they don't fall apart after a few laps please
