During free practice at Suzuka, one of the activities that most intrigued the fans concerned the opportunity made available to the pilots to try a Proto tyre, specifically a particular compound of the C2. The choice was dictated by Pirelli which, in addition to the Japanese GP, has another new compound in store - the C4 - scheduled for the weekend's free practice in Mexico.
C2 rejected by Pirelli, comes the explanation from Mario Isola
At Suzuka, therefore, we saw a new type of the C2 compound in action. The motivation is very clear and is linked to the structure of the compound which seems to be much less soft than expected. Pirelli, in fact, believes that the current C2 is too close to C1 and, vice versa, too far from C3.
Despite this, the compound brought and tested in the Japanese free practice seems to be the case did not convince, as told – to the microphones of Motorsport.com – from Mario Island, head of Pirelli's technical and motorsport area: “If we analyze the data, combined above all with the evolution of the track, I believe that the prototype we brought did not meet our needs, as it didn't give the grip we were looking for. Probably, for this reason, we will remain on Current C2 also for next season. Without having a data match that tells us that the new prototype brings us a clear step forward in grip, I see no reason to change and introduce a new compound compared to the current C2 which still worked well".
The new C4 is arriving in Mexico
In addition to the C2 compound, whose test was unsuccessful, Pirelli is preparing to bring a new version of the C4 for free practice at the Mexican GP. The motivation? Word to Mario Isola: “We want to test the C4 in Mexico with the same system, so no dedicated FP2 for us, but solo two sets of prototypes for the pilots. The goal is not to move our current C4 compound, because the position is good, but the C4 has shown some degree of graining during the season. We therefore want to improve the mechanical resistance and have a wider range of action".
