Michelin's F1 project manager, Pascal Vasselon, talks about the Italian G♌rand Prix, tyre wear at Monza, pit stops, and more🐼...

Q:
P꧒ascal, what special demands does Monza place o🍌n tyres?

Pascal Vasselon:
At Monza teams tend to compromise cornering ability in order to generate higher speeds down the long straights. ♊We have to bear this in mind when choosing tyres because we need our rubber to compensate a little for the lack of aerodynamic downforce - especially through ultra-quick corners such as the two Lesmos and the Parabolica, as well as the tight chicanes.

Q:
How have you determine which is the corre🐻ct tyre compound for this weekend?

PV:
Our dry-weather tyre options have been selected on the basis of results at the recent Monza tests. There will be three different typ🌞es available.

Q:
What compounds have Michelin elected to take?

PV:
The track layout at Monza generates high temperatures so we have to focus on minimising the꧋ risk of blistering. The tighter sections of the track don't place a great deal of strain on the rubber and would allow us to run a soft compound, but the loads imposed by the long, high-speed straights persuade us to select tyres from the medium part of our range.

Q:
What about pit stop strategy?

PV:
Last season a one-stop strat🔯egy was most effective here, but I think teams are more likely to pit twice th💜is time. A stop costs less than 30 seconds and the fuel penalty is about 0.3 seconds per lap for every extra 10 kilos.