The IndyCar season finale is fast approaching, and drivers could be forced to deal with tires that lose performance after just a few laps of racing around the historic Laguna Seca Raceway.
Six-time champion Scott Dixon was one of many drivers who attended a test session at the track just last week, and he has pointed to higher than usual tire degradation as one of the main takeaways.
Laguna Seca’s proximity to the beach has always meant that sand has blown onto the track and caused some tire life issues, but this weekend could see even more pit stops than usual.
“The hard thing about Laguna [Seca] is that the tire I feel like is not very well matched,” explained Dixon. “So you have literally got — if you get five sets of tires, you have maybe 20 laps of actual decent pace. Then you are really working on deg.
“I think the test went well across the board. We have probably ticked some boxes and worked out some question and answers that we needed to, but where we lie, we’re not really sure until we get there.
“We have some work to do, and hopefully we will get there. Laguna Seca, they have a big resurface change in the offseason, which will change the track a lot. It’s technical and sometimes quite difficult to get your head around.
“There’s alternate lines there, and it’s pretty high. I think the tire – the red tire – especially that they’re bringing this year is a higher deg tire than what we had previous years.
“That could definitely change the red. It could be a five-stopper, who knows, if the temperature is high. The day of the test was through the roof.”
Traditionally the 95-lap race is completed with three pit stops, but the prospect of one or two more could open up the strategy options for the 26 drivers.
With the championship coming down to the wire, the team strategists will have to be on their game in order to maximize their points haul.
Ah, Kevin, have you ever BEEN to Laguna Seca? It is not near the beach – 8.2 miles by road. There is a lot of sand on the track, from the dry sandy land it is based on.