Williams' Head of Vehicle Performance Dave Robson has stated that he expects the Alternative Tyre Format to feel normal through further use. At the Italian Grand Prix, the ATA was used for the second time this year following its debut in Hungary, after the initial first trial was delayed after the cancellation of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. The format has drivers issued 11 sets of tyres rather than the traditional 13, while specific compounds are allocated to each qualifying segment, with the Hard tyre in play in Q1, the Medium is in Q2 while the Soft is used in the final Q3 session. By reducing the need for eight tyres per driver on ATA weekend, Pirelli hopes to save over 3,500 tyres per season needing to be manufactured and transported around the world in a sustainability push. Some drivers have complained over the format, stating that the limited tyre sets lead to less time on track, negatively impacting the viewing experience as well as taking away from the collection of data.
Robson expects return to 'normal'
However, Robson says that as teams continue to adjust to the new allocation, the sessions won't look so different to what fans and teams are used to. "I think it's still a slightly tricky format for the engineers and the drivers," he told media including RacingNews365. "We’ve got fewer and fewer tyres on Friday, which for us, never helps. Then having to deal with that stepping up in compound through qualifying is definitely more difficult. "You never quite find the rhythm. "I think Alex [Albon] particularly dealt with that changing compound extremely well [in Italian GP qualifying]. "The team still haven't worked out exactly what the best way to go around testing is. "I think if we do a few more of these, we'll end up with everyone doing largely the same thing as you do on a normal weekend. "It is difficult to know what order to run the compounds in practice sessions, to best prepare yourself for qualifying. You see the very quick cars don't worry about it so much. "I think Max [Verstappen] used one set of Hards, in Q1, which is mighty impressive and mighty bold."
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