Slicks Are Back, Slicks Are Back!

[Kati 0]

http://www.f1today.nl/fotos.php?show=album&albumID=46

the first pictures from Jerez. Really can't wait until they bring them back for real...

[dribbler 6]

Oh, it will be like seeing a beautiful woman and finding out her breasts are real.

It won't be anything like that but that's a pretty good thing too.

[Quiet One 15]

And grooves are like stretch marks?

[tifosi too! 0]

And grooves are like stretch marks?

I guess the new tires will feel a lot more firm and look a lot better !!

[mikathegreat2 2]

They look as smooth as a baby's a$$! 1st time I'll see a season with slick tyres!

[goferrarigo 0]

I guess the new tires will feel a lot more firm and look a lot better !!

They deffinatly look better, as for firmness i think i need to do a test for that....

[The Rumble Strip 0]

[DOF_power 0]

Now a low front wing would be nice too.

[goferrarigo 0]

If however, this prompts other companies back into the sport and thus recreates the tyre war that we had a few seasons back then I'm not sure that's a good thing.

For me, tyre wars create too much of a race variable.

I think Tyres are standized not because other companies do not want to enter but rather due to rules, i think...

Excepting this year, where Mich didn't want to make the tyres...

Now a low front wing would be nice too.

Soon Dof, soon.

[Jenson_Rules 0]

Oooooh the excitement!

Also looking forward to seeing and hearing Brawn as a Honda man and to see what he can do to Honda!

Should be an exciting and interesting season for me I reckon!

[Yoda McFly 1]

That's a beautiful sight ...

To those that fear a tyre war, (of whom I am one) I pose a possible solution ... Please, feel free to tell me what's wrong with this: require the tyres to be hard enough to last at least 1/3 race distance. In other words, if the tyre manufacturers are, to borrow an American "buisnessism", disincented to build gumball tyres, many of the problems will sort themselves just by the nature of the harder tyre: no more (or fewer) marbles off-line, reduced cornering speeds with the consequent increased lap times, no more four-stop races ...

Just a thought.

[rodders47 2]

Oooooh the excitement!

Also looking forward to seeing and hearing Brawn as a Honda man and to see what he can do to Honda!

Should be an exciting and interesting season for me I reckon!

One thing for sure is he could not possibly do a worse job then the current designers/engineers.

As I see it the only way is UP for Honda next year. How far up the ladder time will tell

[aussief1 4]

One thing for sure is he could not possibly do a worse job then the current designers/engineers.

As I see it the only way is UP for Honda next year. How far up the ladder time will tell

Hallelujah to slicks being tested

Ross will sit back and see where changes need to be made, and then make the changes necessary. Don't expect a sudden upturn in fortune at Honda; it's going to be a slow process.

[pabloh20 1]

That's a beautiful sight ...

To those that fear a tyre war, (of whom I am one) I pose a possible solution ... Please, feel free to tell me what's wrong with this: require the tyres to be hard enough to last at least 1/3 race distance. In other words, if the tyre manufacturers are, to borrow an American "buisnessism", disincented to build gumball tyres, many of the problems will sort themselves just by the nature of the harder tyre: no more (or fewer) marbles off-line, reduced cornering speeds with the consequent increased lap times, no more four-stop races ...

Just a thought.

Please forgive me if I am not thinking this through properly, I am struggling to get my brain into gear today

Maybe next season would be better to judge this by, but unless overtaking dramatically improves, then qualifying position will still be essential. At the moment they very rarely go 1/3rd distance on the first stop, so how would we know if the tyres they use can last 1/3rd distance if they change them before then? I only say this knowing F1 teams and their talent for bending the rules.

[Max Mosley 2]

Yeah and when we had that fiasco at Indy 2005, Michelin had been warned repeatedly about the difficulties on that track and to bring proper tyres, but still failed to guess correctly.

[DOF_power 0]

That's a beautiful sight ...

To those that fear a tyre war, (of whom I am one) I pose a possible solution ... Please, feel free to tell me what's wrong with this: require the tyres to be hard enough to last at least 1/3 race distance. In other words, if the tyre manufacturers are, to borrow an American "buisnessism", disincented to build gumball tyres, many of the problems will sort themselves just by the nature of the harder tyre: no more (or fewer) marbles off-line, reduced cornering speeds with the consequent increased lap times, no more four-stop races ...

Just a thought.

The 2007 harder compunds should have slowed the cars by 3 seconds per lap, or at least reduce cornerings speeds; but that didn't happened.

In 1998 the hard grooves should have slowed down the cars considerably, or at least in the corners, but that didn't happened either.

High speed corners are aero corners; the downforced is produced as the speed increasses, so at high speed over 80% of the grip is aero-grip not mechanical-grip.

And besides aerodynamics there's also mechanical and/or hydraulic and electronic systems to improve the cornering speeds.

[pumpdoc 2]

Nice! Now what's wrong with tire wars?

[pabloh20 1]

Nice! Now what's wrong with tire wars?

It's just a tragedy, Bruce. All that needless loss of rubber life, wasted in its prime. But you know, we need those tyres that are brave enough to stand up and be counted, some are born to be an ordinary road tyre and others are born to fight that F1 tyre war. We should salute those heroes

[Grabthaw the Hammerslayer 4]

Nice! Now what's wrong with tire wars?

Well the first three films were OK, but the new ones were just not as good....

I preferred Tire Trek myself

[Kati 0]

yay slicks back, nick 1st! hehehehe

[Quiet One 15]

Well the first three films were OK, but the new ones were just not as good....

I preferred Tire Trek myself

[Autumnpuma 0]

In theory, the slicks will give back around 30% (IIRC) of the contact patch so the drivers should have more grip in the slower corners...which will mean more overtaking. Another interesting thing is that now the slicks will be virtually undriveable in damp conditions. The grooved monstrosities could at least boast a small bit of water-funneling but the slicks will have none of it.

All that aside, the cars will look like proper racing cars again and that is, to me, worth far more than any technical argument for or against.

[Max Mosley 2]

Nice! Now what's wrong with tire wars?

Typical gung-ho, warmongering Americans!

[aussief1 4]

All that aside, the cars will look like proper racing cars again and that is, to me, worth far more than any technical argument for or against.

I agree, I've just been looking through some pictures of the first day of testing, and i'm in love with slicks all over again They just look right at home bolted to a Formula One car.

[Jenson_Rules 0]

Well interesting to see they are a lot quicker than the grooved tyres but not really a surprise and good also to see Button in P2, something unseen in a long time!