Pirelli Motorsport Director Mario Isola has confirmed the enforcement of an 'Alternative Tyre Allocation' at the Hungarian Grand Prix this weekend. As part of continued efforts to improve sustainability, the Italian tyre manufacturer will offer only 11 sets of tyres for the three-day event at the Hungaroring, with teams obliged to use certain compounds across the qualifying hour on Saturday. The stipulations will see drivers attack Q1 on a set of Hard tyres, switching to the Mediums in the second session before the top 10 battle it out for pole on the softest compound. It is part of a trial of the ATA system that, if successful, could be voted to be used across next season and beyond. The trial was originally slated for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix before flooding in the area forced the event's cancellation.
Strategy options
"A new tyre allocation for qualifying [known as ATA, or ‘Alternative Tyre Allocation’] will be tried out for the first time, with the obligation to use just the Hard in Q1, Medium in Q2 and Soft in Q3 if conditions stay dry," explained Isola. "Both these changes, at least on paper, should lead to a wider range of options, particularly in terms of strategy. "The ATA also saves two sets of dry tyres compared to the traditional format [using 11 sets instead of 13)] and it will be run again at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza. "After that, the FIA, F1 and the teams will decide whether or not to adopt it for next season.”
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