IndyCar drivers puzzled by Firestone “inconsistencies”

Conor Daly set quickest time in Q1 Group 1 however was left annoyed when his subsequent set of Firestone’s softer alternate rubber left him 0.2sec slower in Q2 regardless of there being extra rubber on the observe.

Alexander Rossi, who certified second for Andretti Autosport-Honda, agreed, stating: “I believe all of us sadly will get burned by it at one level within the 12 months. I imply, it’s a factor, it does exist and it is irritating for positive when it occurs.

“Firestone for probably the most half does an excellent job, however there definitely has been inconsistencies which have popped up, particularly on the pink tire, I believe for the previous couple of years.

Rossi’s future Arrow McLaren SP-Chevrolet teammate Pato O’Ward commented that he had encountered related points “this 12 months and final 12 months.” He went on: “You simply by no means know when it’ll occur, and it is simply clearly unlucky.

“After we get it, different guys won’t, however then perhaps they will get it one other time, however you simply by no means actually know when it’ll occur to you, so it’s a must to clearly analyze and see if it isn’t a difficulty that wasn’t that. I believe all people is on the identical boat. All people has had it at the very least as soon as a while.”

He later added: “Typically it really works out that approach and generally it would not, and generally it feels nice within the first run and then you definately put the opposite set of tires, and it is like, ‘What the heck occurred?’”

Fogging the difficulty on the two.439-mile Indy highway course is that “this place is so temperature delicate and delicate to what day of the week it’s apparently!” mentioned Rossi, obliging groups to make substantial setup adjustments for tiny lap time enhancements.

“As a result of we run right here a lot, everybody can do a lap round right here,” he mentioned, “in order that’s why you see the variations are hundredths. I imply, in Spherical 2 [of qualifying] I believe 4 or 5 automobiles did a 70.1. It is actually advantageous margins that you simply’re all the time searching for, and generally to achieve that tiny little bit, it is truly a reasonably substantial change it’s a must to make.”

O’Ward, who thought his automotive was dealing with very badly on this morning’s observe and Spherical 1 of qualifying was stunned to switch to Q2 and finally the Firestone Quick Six. He identified that to have a automotive that dealt with effectively on Firestone reds meant it will be poor on Firestone blacks, the more durable main compound tires, and vice-versa.

“The issue for us at the very least up to now has all the time been that your steadiness on blacks needs to be fairly robust to drive to ensure that it to be first rate on reds,” he mentioned. “It was extraordinarily tough to drive, like even worse than FP1 within the morning, so I used to be like, ‘Oh, we’re in bother.’ However they had been like, ‘Man, we won’t change something.’

“I used to be like, you understand what, I am simply going to attempt to pull one thing out of my hat to see if we are able to switch, and once they advised us we transferred, I used to be like, whew. Then we had been capable of make an extended change, which then put me in a approach happier window for the second shot of qualifying after which that transferred us into the Quick Six.

“It is extraordinarily robust to nail each varieties of tire compounds when it comes to steadiness. You have to be slightly sad with one in all them to excel within the different one. You all the time form of wish to excel on the pink one as a result of the black ain’t going to switch you anyplace except you are a second and a half sooner than anyone, which does not occur within the sequence.”

Since IndyCar began operating two occasions on the Indy highway course in 2020, it’s not been uncommon to see groups excel within the Grand Prix of Indy in Might after which wrestle for tempo on the later race, and the reverse has additionally been true. It’s some extent to which O’Ward alluded.

“What’s complicated generally is we had been right here in Might, and we had a really stable qualifying,” he mentioned. “We had an excellent race till it began raining. Anyway, we had tempo. We clearly come right here with just about the identical, and we’re six-tenths off. However just one automotive is six-tenths off and the opposite one is OK…

“I do not know why it occurs. It is very, very delicate, and it is extraordinarily delicate in the way you, 1), push the tire, and a pair of), how exhausting you are attacking the corners, as a result of it is simply so flat, so there is no cambers or off-cambers you can form of take into your benefit.

“However yeah, it is simply each time we come right here, it would not matter if it is the identical observe, it is all the time completely different, at the very least that is my expertise, and I believe lots of people would agree. Possibly others do not.”