PIRELLI - Monaco GP Thursday
DANIEL RICCIARDO IS THE FASTEST FOR RED BULL IN FREE PRACTICE ON THE PIRELLI HYPERSOFT TIRE DEBUT, SETTING A NEW TRACK RECORD
MORE DEGRADATION ON THE NEW HYPERSOFT TIRE BUT A ONE-STOP RACE IS STILL LIKELY
ONE SECOND DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE HYPERSOFT AND ULTRASOFT TIRES; 0.5 SECONDS GAP BETWEEN THE ULTRASOFT AND SUPERSOFT TIRES
Monaco, May 24, 2018 – Daniel Ricciardo completed a Red Bull monopoly of the free practice sessions in Monaco, setting a new track record in FP2, with last year’s pole time already beaten in FP1 thanks to the brand new P Zero Pink hypersoft tire. On its debut, the new tire has resulted in times that are nearly one second per lap quicker than last year in FP2.
The street circuit has additionally been extensively resurfaced since last year, giving it more grip and a smoother surface, which has also helped to deliver faster lap times.
MARIO ISOLA – PIRELLI’S HEAD OF CAR RACING
“We’ve seen a lot more degradation on the softest tire compound here – the new Pink hypersoft tire making its debut here – than we have in previous years – which is exactly as expected for our new tire compound. Having said that, you really can’t compare Monaco to anywhere else, which is why it was particularly important to collect as much relevant data as possible on the hypersoft tire today. We also saw some front-left graining, especially in the morning, which is also normal in Monaco. While the extra pace this year was clear with the track record broken today, a one-stop race on Sunday is still the most likely option due to the huge importance of track position at this race. Although Red Bull has been very strong today, we’ve seen the top teams very closely matched again.”
FREE PRACTICE 1 – TOP 3 TIMES
|
DRIVER |
TIME |
TIRE COMPOUND |
|
Ricciardo |
1m12.126s |
HYPERSOFT NEW |
|
Verstappen |
1m12.280s |
HYPERSOFT NEW |
|
Hamilton |
1m12.480s |
HYPERSOFT NEW |
FREE PRACTICE 2 – TOP 3 TIMES
|
DRIVER |
TIME |
TIRE COMPOUND |
|
Ricciardo |
1m11.841s |
HYPERSOFT NEW |
|
Verstappen |
1m12.035s |
HYPERSOFT NEW |
|
Vettel |
1m12.413s |
HYPERSOFT USED |
FP1 - BEST TIME BY TIRE COMPOUND
|
TIRE COMPOUND |
DRIVER |
TIME |
|
SUPERSOFT |
Alonso |
1m19.170s |
|
ULTRASOFT |
Hartley |
1m14.034s |
|
HYPERSOFT |
Ricciardo |
1m12.126s |
FP2 - BEST TIME BY TIRE COMPOUND
|
TIRE COMPOUND |
DRIVER |
TIME |
|
SUPERSOFT |
Hamilton |
1m13.720s |
|
ULTRASOFT |
Vettel |
1m13.180s |
|
HYPERSOFT |
Ricciardo |
1m11.841s |
MOST LAPS BY TIRE COMPOUND SO FAR
|
TIRE COMPOUND |
DRIVER |
LAPS |
|
SUPERSOFT |
Ericsson |
32 |
|
ULTRASOFT |
Gasly, Hartley, Ocon |
25 |
|
HYPERSOFT |
Sirotkin |
30 |
TIRE STATISTICS OF THE DAY
* The above number gives the total amount of miles driven in FP1 and FP2 today, all drivers combined. ** Per compound, all drivers combined.
|
Miles driven* |
171 |
589 |
2307 |
|
Sets used overall** |
5 |
15 |
60 |
|
MIN. STARTING PRESSURES (slicks) |
EOS CAMBER LIMIT |
||
|
17.5 psi (front) | 17.5 psi (rear) |
-4.00° (front) | -2.75° (rear) |
||
Tom Beeler
Tom has been a contributor to RIS since 1992. He was invited to join the staff as a full-time reporter/editor in 1995, and has covered IndyCar, Formula 1, NASCAR, Grand-Am, ALMS and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. In addition to his RIS work, Tom has been a contributor for General Motors, Nissan, Toyota and the ACO.