Ferrari take 10 sets of ultra-soft tyres for Baku

16 comments on “Ferrari take 10 sets of ultra-soft tyres for Baku”

1. 

   Vettel fan 17 (@)
   17th April 2018, 18:21

   Bwoah… That’s alot of ultras.
   1. 

      Makana (@makana)
      17th April 2018, 21:14

      Didn’t this limit Ferrari’s response in China. When the safety car was called in; did they have any Softs left??
      1. 

         Srdjan Mandic (@srga91)
         17th April 2018, 22:29

         Yes, they did. Both drivers had one fresh set of softs left.
         I’m not expecting more than one stop, even with ultras. US-S or US-SS will probably the tyre-strategy for most teams.
      2. 

         David Not Coulthard (@davidnotcoulthard)
         18th April 2018, 9:55

         @makana VET does at least have 2 of the middle coumpounds though (that said, last time it was RAI that needed it, and…..)
2. 

   Schudha
   17th April 2018, 18:53

   It’s known which team is going to be strongest based on what tyres Pirelli choose.
3. 

   juan fanger (@juan-fanger)
   17th April 2018, 22:39

   Does anyone remember which tyre combinations worked best last year? Was it all good for the very softest like, say, at Sochi or Monaco?
   1. 

      nase
      17th April 2018, 23:57

      @juan-fanger
      https://www.racefans.net/2017/06/25/2017-azerbaijan-grand-prix-tyre-strategies-and-pit-stops/
      Longest stint on Softs was 12 laps, from the start to the first Safety Car. All but three drivers started on Supersofts and put in just a token stint on Softs between Safety Car periods. No one made more than that token stint with them, so the compound disappeared from the race after 22 laps. Half of the (surviving) field completed the remaining 29 laps on a single set of Supersofts, setting their fastest lap times near the end of the race.

      There can only be one conclusion: Supersoft, hands down.
      Now, the question is: Is the 2018 Ultrasoft, being roughly two steps softer than the 2017 Supersoft, soft enough to give the harder compounds a chance? This year’s hardest compound in Baku more or less corresponds to last year’s softest. Does that compound happen to be perfect for the track, or is it simply a matter of softer is better?
      1. 

         Joao (@johnmilk)
         18th April 2018, 8:56

         Now, the question is: Is the 2018 Ultrasoft, being roughly two steps softer than the 2017 Supersoft, soft enough to give the harder compounds a chance? This year’s hardest compound in Baku more or less corresponds to last year’s softest. Does that compound happen to be perfect for the track, or is it simply a matter of softer is better?

         Aren’t those Pirelli tyres great to talk about?
         1. 

            nase
            18th April 2018, 16:52

            @johnmilk
            Ey, João, I think I’ve told you a few times that I usually enjoy reading your comments.
            Well, that’s not the case for comments on Pirelli, or tyres in general. You sound an awful lot like a broken record when it comes to that subject, and not like a particularly interesting broken record, for that matter.
            This doesn’t change my opinion of you as a commenter on the whole, but I do find that annoying.
            Feel free to reciprocate if you find something that irks you, I just think you’re one of the people where honesty is better than silently rolling my eyes in disdain.
4. 

   Nitzo (@webtel)
   18th April 2018, 7:24

   Seems like Marcus Ericcson and Kimi Raikkonen have a lot more in common that i thought…

   Interesting choice from Renaults. SS was the best tyre last year in Baku. With Pirelli’s tyre evolution, last year’s SS could be this year’s Soft. Nevertheless, they look set for a neat top ten finish on a two stopper.
5. 

   eljueta (@eljueta)
   18th April 2018, 7:36

   So much softness you just wanna cuddle with those tires. Imagine the Hyper-softs, they might fall asleep at the wheel, like riding on teddy bears.
   1. 

      kanan
      18th April 2018, 13:16

      Lol
6. 

   AdrianMorse (@adrianmorse)
   18th April 2018, 9:38

   I always have the feeling that the Mercedes goes better on the harder compounds (pretty much since the start of the Pirelli era, with Ferrari better on the softer compounds), so I’m always surprised they take so many of the ultra-softs, especially since they seem to be struggling with their tyres at the moment. Would a super-soft, soft race not be quickest for them?
7. 

   Duc Pham (@ducpham2708)
   18th April 2018, 14:54

   Tyres has been the main character of the story of the first 3 races, but I don’t think it’ll matter too much in Baku. I do expect Mercedes to re-find their form since Baku is, due to their smooth surface, quite easy on the tyres, which has been Mercedes’ issue in Qualifying in the 2 recent races. The strategy game in the race doesn’t matter too much, since it’s likely going to be a simple one-stop.

   The Baku Circuit seems to be similar to Melbourne in many ways, being a half-street circuit with many quick corners and a few 90-degree turns. Mercedes dominated Qualy in Melbourne, so one would expect them to perform well. If Ferrari continue to dominate, they’re definitely the favorite to win the Championship this season.
   1. 

      digitalrurouni
      18th April 2018, 16:06

      I don’t think Mercedes will find their form till later in the year. As it is to me at least it seems the diva is back.
      1. 

         javier
         19th April 2018, 1:59

         mercedes will win in baku, australia was a ferrari fluke.. hamilton’s pace was too good, he was flying, in china both ferrari and mercedes went for one stopper and got caught by redbull who benefited from the SC, despite ferrari being good on soft, after the first pit stop that merc and ferrari changed to medium bottas was gaining distance from seb.. mercedes is still the strongest, just a number of element have prevented them from wining… australia safety car… in bahrain well they dont do good in the heat and china again a safety car

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