The Brazilian Sprint weekend is underway, with four of the five-weekend sessions complete. In the 24-lap sprint, many drivers complained about a recurring issue affecting everyone. Drivers of multiple different teams brought up tire degradation at Interlagos. Alexander Albon was the most outspoken about the tire problems, saying the car “felt terrible to drive.”

The Williams driver managed to gain four positions during the sprint but said the racing did not feel comfortable. Albon said tracks used for years tend to have old tarmac, which eats away at the tires faster than normal. Albon said the Pirelli tires were to blame for the excessive tire degradation and said he does not think much is going to change even though the issue is a growing issue.

The [degradation] is just massive. It feels terrible to drive, to be honest. I think everyone must be terrible because the pace was actually not that bad but the racing didn't feel good for me. So, it is tough.

Alex Albon said, as reported by autosport.com

Pirelli recently won a battle with Bridgestone to be Formula One’s tire supplier and extended their contract until at least 2027. F1 has made it clear that they intend to go forward with only one supplier, eliminating any chance of tire battles that were rampant in the early 2000s.

Albon was not the only one to complain about the extreme degradation, as Lewis Hamilton said he had never seen such tire degradation at Interlagos. The Briton is a veteran at the circuit, most recently winning there in 2021 after qualifying last. Daniel Ricciardo also blamed the track surface for the degradation, as the Alpha Tauri finished 9th place in the sprint race, two places behind teammate Yuki Tsunoda. 

Albon admits AlphaTauri’s pace is concerning

Alexander Albon and teammate Logan Sargeant qualified 19th and 20th after a red flag in the first part of the sprint shootout and saw their rivals in Alpha Tauri both manage to get into SQ3. Williams is currently ahead of Alpha Tauri in the Constructors’ Championship, but not significantly. 

Yuki Tsunoda and Daniel Ricciardo both finished the sprint race in the top 10, with Tsunoda scoring two valuable points for the Faenza team. Ricciardo just missed out on points in 9th place. Alpha Tauri has had four drivers in 2023, three of whom scored points. Alex Albon managed only 15th in the sprint, albeit gaining four positions. Albon said the pace of the Alpha Tauris was “scary.

I think we made up some good positions, had decent pace. It was a bit scary to see the AlphaTauris being so quick. But for us, that was okay.

Albon said, as reported by racefans.net

Williams was outscored by Alpha Tauri in the Mexico City Grand Prix, as Daniel Ricciardo scored Alpha Tauri’s best finish all season in sixth. Their form has continued into Brazil, while Williams has not had much of an improvement, Albon and Sargeant starting 15th and 19th respectively. 

In case you missed it:

• Felipe Massa makes a surprise visit to the Brazilian GP amidst his lawsuit against Lewis Hamilton’s 2008 F1 title
• Christian Horner recalls racing Max Verstappen’s mother in his junior karting years

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