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Ferrari Urge Pirelli to Develop 2011 F1 Tires

Even though they have been strong supporters of the new Pirelli tires this off-season, Ferrari have now urged their fellow countrymen to improve the durability of their compounds this season.

Ferrari's team principal Stefano Domenicali admitted concerns that some races in the 2011 season will become chaotic due to the multiple pit-stop strategy that must be used in order for a driver to finish a Grand Prix. Although initial predictions from Pirelli's boss Paul Hembery pointed to 3-pitstop strategies for 2011, the latest race simulation in Barcelona indicated at least 4 pitstops need to be made by a driver through one and a half hours of racing.

In the first race simulation in Barcelona, to achieve the best pace, we stopped four times,” Domenicali was quoted as saying in a recent interview with Italy's Gazzetta dello Sport. “On Sunday (in Melbourne) there will be at least three, because when the performance drops, it is useless to leave a driver on the track without pace.

We suggested that tires are made with a greater degradation in respect to 2010,” he admitted. “With Bridgestone you could almost drive a grand prix without stopping. But imagine the race here with so much traffic in the pits for 72 stops in 58 laps... I am concerned.”

Mercedes GP's boss Ross Brawn recently addressed the same issue, saying that most of the races in 2011 will be ran on 3-pitstop strategies. However, every once in a while, some Grands Prix will need 4 visits down the pitlane to do the trick, which will likely lead to some interesting (and quite confusing, at the same time) F1 racing in 2011.
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