I'm sure as an F1 fan, you're rather tired of hearing about tires (pun intended). However, Sutil's performance has provided new light on a different era of how tires will effect Formula 1. Sutil drives for Force India, and obviously, they don't have the fastest car. So first off, regarding F.I, they are a team with a lot of potential. From 2011 to 2012 their final championship points increased by 40 points (69-109). This year, they could be on their way to winning a race. They almost did in Brazil, and now they almost did in Australia.
Anyways, on to what it means for the rest of the field. It's basically an amplification of Perez last year in Monza. He saved his tires, and then despite his inferior car, was able to rocket up the field. Sutil did the same, except by not pitting for longer than the others. That shows just how important tires are, they are the single most effective way to increase a car's performance. They account for about 50% of a car's overall performance. That is good for the sport, because it gives teams like Sauber, Force India, Williams, and Toro Rosso a chance to get a few exceptional results. It also means that the championship throughout the field will be shaken up a lot. Overall, tires are changing the F1 game completely, and Sutil showed that last Sunday.
Force India also almost won in Spa in 2009. If not for the restart, Fisicihella, who was driving for Force India at the time, could have kept his gap over Kimi's Ferrari, which had KERS, unlike the Force India cars.
ReplyDeleteGood post. It'll be interesting to see how the tires work on a racing circuit like Malaysia with the heat, the layout, and other factors.