Formula 1 British Grand Prix Prediction: Pirelli introduces a new tire construction

The tenth race of the season at the legendary Silverstone is upon us, where Pirelli will introduce a new, stronger tire construction for the first time in order to keep up with the intense development of the car. After nine Red Bull victories in the first nine races, Formula 1 travels to Silverstone in Great Britain, where the 74th race bearing that name is on the schedule, and the main novelty is the new tire constructions prepared by Pirelli and which the drivers and teams have already tested on training in Spain.

Max Verstappen secured his fifth consecutive pole position and 27th of his career in the changing conditions at Silverstone, but it was McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri who finished second and third respectively. In a dramatic last-ditch effort in Q3, Norris held provisional pole after a superb final lap, but Verstappen responded with the best third sector to claim pole by 0.241 seconds. McLaren, which can now be said to be progressing more and more every day, can certainly be considered next to the 'best of the rest'. It is realistic to expect a new double taking of points and at least one place on the podium. Ferrari, which should have had at least one victory a long time ago, is still looking for the same one. Again, in the last race they showed that they can, but 'again' they failed with the strategy, which is a big problem for them. If they show similar performances to Spielberg, they can be an extremely strong contender for the top step of the podium.

Pirelli achieved the new tire construction using materials carried over from next year's expected tire launch. This change in specification was necessary due to the increased performance of the cars seen since the start of the season compared to pre-season simulation data submitted by the teams to Pirelli last winter, and the fact that this trend will only increase as the championship progresses. The new specification gives the tires additional resistance to wasting, but does not affect the technical parameters or its behavior on the track. The new specification also allows front and rear tire pressures to remain largely unchanged compared to last year, despite a significant increase in average load.

Ferrari and McLaren brought big improvement packages to the last race in Austria that helped them beat Aston Martins and Mercedes, and new parts for Silverstone were announced by Alpine, Mercedes, and again by McLaren who will bring the second of the three segments of their new package. Verstappen is an absolute favorite for a win here and the main battle will be for other places on the podium. I expect Charles Leclerc who will start from 4th position to push hard on both McLarens and with a good strategy from his team to finish on the podium in this race.

OUR PREDICTION: Leclerc to finish on the podium