Michelin's F1 project manager, Pascal Vasselon, tal🌄ks about the I🌳talian Grand Prix, tyre wear at Monza, pit stops, and more...

Q:
Pascal, what special 💙demands does Monza place on tyres?

Pascal Vasselon:
At Monza teams tend to compromise cornering ability in order to generate higher speeds down the l🥂ong straights. We have to bear this in mind when choosing tyres because we need our rubber to compen🐭sate 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 𒉰is the correct tyre compound for this we♓ekend?

PV:
Our dry-weather tyre options have been selected on the basis of results at the recent Monza tests. There wil𒐪l be three different types 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 selဣect tyres from the medium part of our range.

Q:
What about pit stop strategy?

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