US Grand Prix: Pirelli to take its mid-range tires to COTA

Formula 1’s tire supplier Pirelli will be taking its mid-range compound tires to the newly-resurfaced Circuit of the Americas (COTA) circuit in Austin, Texas. The Italian tire manufacturer explained its reasons for taking the compounds as they previewed the American circuit, which returns to the calendar after a year’s hiatus.

In 2020, when the COTA circuit was suspended from the calendar due to the global pandemic, the circuit authorities used the downtime to partially resurface the circuit, which had developed several bumps. According to Pirelli, 40 percent of the track's length has been resurfaced, however, the "roughness" of the new tarmac is yet to be analyzed.

Pirelli expect different tire performance at the resurfaced COTA circuit

Pirelli has allocated the C2 Hard compound, C3 Medium compound and C4 Soft compound tires for the American circuit. Due to the resurfacing of the circuit, changes in tire strategies, degradation and management are to be expected.

Pirelli's Head of F1 and Car Racing, Mario Isola said:

“Although the teams have quite a lot of experience of Austin, this year, they face a track that has changed a bit compared to 2019, when we last raced here.”

Pirelli's Head of F1 and Car Racing Mario Isola talks in the Team Principals Press Conference during 2021 Italian GP weekend in Monza. (Photo by Mark Sutton - Pool/Getty Images)

Explaining the resurfaced asphalt and its effects on performance, the Pirelli boss said:

“Around 40% of the track has resurfaced, but due to COVID-19 restrictions, we were not able to send our personnel to analyze the new asphalt. So, its characteristics are a question mark for everyone and we will only discover the final effects on tires and car performance in general when we are there.”

Due to the lack of usage of the circuit in the wake of the pandemic, Pirelli expects a lot of track evolution over the weekend. As more rubber gets laid on the circuit, one can expect the times to drop drastically.

Explaining the tire compound allocations, Isola said:

“As usual, the tire nomination was done based on data obtained before the race, with the compounds in the middle of the range well-suited to the circumstances.”

While this year’s US Grand Prix is being held earlier in the season than usual, Pirelli expects unpredictable weather through the weekend. With partly cloudy weather forecast for Saturday and Sunday, humidity levels could factor in to the tire performance.

Given the role of tire performance on the outcome of the Turkish Grand Prix, Pirelli is expecting tire management to play a significant role in deciding the winners and losers of the 2021 US Grand Prix.