F1 | Ferrari: there is a real time program for tire management

Who said that English engineers don't want to come to work in Italy? To clear up a doubt, you should ask Callum Frith, a 32-year-old Briton from Shropshire, who had his great opportunity to enter the world of racing in Maranello thanks to the Ferrari F1 Engineering Academy program dedicated to recent graduates. Today the Englishman is the Scuderia's Tire Performance Engineer, so he is the man of the day, given that in Suzuka the topic of tires becomes fundamental in the search for performance.

After the splendid double at Albert Park, the Cavallino faces a track that is certainly not ideal for the SF-24, even if the simulations have shown that the red car could defend itself more than honorably even in Japan.

Suzuka is a tough circuit for tyres. What will be your challenges this weekend?
“At Suzuka we have a lot of fast corners, so the energy levels in the tires are among the highest of the entire season. For this reason Pirelli brings the three hardest compounds (C1, C2, C3), which are used only on the most demanding tracks for the tyres. Furthermore, the unusual figure-eight shape of the track means a high degree of stress on all four tyres, with the car setup and the weather – always unpredictable here – playing an important role.”

“If we also add a very abrasive asphalt, it is easy to understand that we can expect a race with high tire degradation and multi-stop strategies. In short, this weekend will be a demanding test for the tires from all points of view!”.

After the first three races the SF-24 seems to handle the tires better than the SF-23. Where does this improvement come from?
“One of our main objectives was to improve race performance and we tried to address the issue of tire management from multiple fronts. In the development phase of the car we worked above all to make a consistent platform available to the drivers. This year the car is more predictable and for Charles and Carlos it is therefore easier not to overly stress the tires when the race conditions change, for example when they find themselves in traffic, or when the wind changes, or simply when during the stints the tires degrade and grip decreases”.

“As regards on-track management, together with the drivers we have developed a plan that identifies the moments where it is necessary to pay more attention to the tires to obtain the best possible time, naturally keeping in mind the strategy and specific characteristics of each circuit. It is a tool that we use real-time during the race to possibly give feedback to the drivers via radio.”

Callum Frith

Let's talk about you: how did you arrive at Ferrari? Where does your passion for motorsport come from?
“I have been passionate about motorsport since I was a child, when I watched Formula 1 on television and never missed a race at the Donington Park circuit, near my home. In high school I had the wonderful opportunity to get a little work experience in the Williams team, and thanks to this I started to believe that a career in motorsport was possible. As soon as I finished university, during a Formula Student event, I discovered the Ferrari F1 Engineering Academy program, dedicated to recent graduates. I passed the selections and arrived in Maranello. I gained experience within the tire team, initially following the races from the remote garage and then on the track during testing, before moving to the racing team, where I am still involved today.”