Adaptability to 2019 tyres key to performance - Wolff

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Mercedes boss Toto Wolff says a team's ability to understand Pirelli's thinner tread tyres and adapt to their characteristics are big factors of performance this season.

In a bid to reduce risks of overheating and blistering, Pirelli has reduced the tread of its tyres this season, a change that has thrown a wrench into the works of teams this year as everyone struggles with the narrow operating window associated with the new rubber.

Haas' Guenther Steiner is up in arms with how the US outfit's 2019 contender - which showed great promise in pre-season testing - has now lost its performance on long runs as it struggles to warm up its tyres.

Grosjean getting 'f***ing' annoyed with Haas tyre struggles

Racing Point technical director Andy Green also feels that this year's rubber is a massive component of a car's performance on race day.

"Unfortunately it changes from track to track, asphalt to asphalt. We are having to about them every time." Green told Auto Motor und Sport.

Wolff agrees that teams have been forced to start from scratch when it comes to unraveling the mysteries of Pirelli's latest tyres.

"I think there's actually a wider operating window [with the 2019 tyres] but I think it's the usual learning slope," said Wolff.

"When you've had a tyre for a long time, all your data and all your simulations are based around a certain compound and a certain structure.

"Then suddenly the tread changes from one year to the other, all your learning is basically not so relevant anymore.

"It's also about adaptability, the team that learns quickest to understand the new circumstances."

So far, Mercedes appears to have an edge over its rivals with regard to that learning process, although Wolff pointed to the team's deficit to Ferrari in FP3 in Baku as evidence that the German squad's advantage is tentative at best.

"We didn't do anything different, we just didn't have the tyre in the window," said Wolff.

"Then it was also about seeking the right compromise between qualifying and the race.

"Max Verstappen was the quickest guy on track [at the end of the race], then a virtual safety car, the tyre doesn't come back and he's struggling to put heat in the tyre and generate grip. He came on the radio saying 'I have no grip'.

"That is the science where every team gradually progresses and tries to understand their performance better."

As far as former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone is concerned, this year's tyre conundrum is a great factor of unpredictability for F1.

"Imagine if everyone understood the tyres, then the order would always be the same!" Bernie said in Baku.

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.