Brazil 2014 - GP Preview - Ferrari

After the North American round, the Formula 1 circus flies 8000 kilometres to South America and the Brazilian capital city of Sao Paolo. It’s more than just distance that separates the two venues, as we go from the crisp modern facility that is the Circuit of the Americas to the “characterful” and cramped Interlagos paddock. And while both circuits run anti-clockwise, the Brazilian track, the second shortest on the calendar after Monaco, requires a different approach, as Scuderia Ferrari’s Engineering Director Pat Fry says.

“The downforce level we normally run here is slightly lower than in Austin, which is classically very near the maximum, mainly to get the tyres working. Many of the corners in Brazil involve braking and turning, producing high lateral forces, which means it’s quite difficult to get the car balance correct, so there are quite a few challenges in the medium to low speed corners. Apart from that, you need to get the drag level right for the long run up the hill and down the pit straight.”

The original tyre choice that Pirelli had made for Brazil was the Hard and the Medium, however when the sport’s tyre supplier assessed the fact the whole track has been resurfaced, it changed its decision.

“When it became clear that the nature of the surface was going to give the tyres an easier time, they’ve now come to a choice that everyone is going to be more happy with, namely the Medium and the Soft compounds” says Fry. “In the past, tyre wear has been severe, pushing you towards a multi-stop race. I’m not sure what the case will be with the resurfacing, so we will have to wait and see.”

However, very often at this time of year, the slick tyres do not see much use, as rain can usually play a significant role at this race. Currently the forecast is for the odd shower on Friday and Saturday, with hot and sunny conditions for the race. But it’s too early to be sure. Dry Friday practice would be welcomed by the Scuderia Ferrari crew, for reasons which Fry reveals: “although we are coming from a back-to-back race with Austin, there is still a large number of test items we have got to try and get through aimed at our 2015 project.”