Pirelli confirms tire picks for Spa and Suzuka - MotorSportsTalk

Pirelli has confirmed its tire selections for the Formula 1 races in Belgium and Japan this fall.

As part of the change to the rules regarding tires for the 2016 season, teams are now informed months in advance of the available compounds for each race.

With three different tires on offer – up from two in 2015 – the teams are able to pick how many sets of each they will take to the race.

In a statement issued on Thursday, Pirelli confirmed that it had made its selections for the races in Belgium at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps and at Suzuka in Japan.

For Spa, teams will have the choice of medium, soft and super-soft tires, the latter making its debut at the Belgian circuit.

Teams will be required to use at least one set of either the medium or the soft tires during the race.

At Suzuka, Pirelli has gone a step harder with its compound choices, electing to take the hard, medium and soft tires to Japan.

Teams will be required to use at least one set of the hard tire during the race due to the aggressive nature of the Suzuka circuit.

The Belgian Grand Prix will take place on August 28, while the Japanese Grand Prix is scheduled for October 9.

Announcements regarding tire picks for the Italian, United States, Mexican, Brazilian and Abu Dhabi grands prix will be made in due course.

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An IndyCar executive said there is “absolutely” disappointment that its long-awaited video game recently was delayed beyond its target date, but the series remains optimistic about the new title.

“Well, I don’t know how quick it will be, but the whole situation is important to us,” Penske Entertainment president and CEO Mark Miles said during a news conference Monday morning to announce IndyCar’s NTT title sponsorship. “Motorsport Games has spent a lot of money, a lot of effort to create an IndyCar title. What we’ve seen of that effort, which is not completely obvious, is very reassuring.

“I think it’s going to be outstanding. That’s our shared objective, that when it is released, it’s just widely accepted. A great credit both to IndyCar racing, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, something that our fans love.”

In June 2021, IndyCar announced a new partnership with Motorsport Games to create and distribute an IndyCar video game for the PC and Xbox and PlayStation consoles in 2023.

But during an earnings call last week, Motorsport Games said the IndyCar game had been delayed to 2024 to ensure high quality.

Somewhat compounding the delay is that IndyCar’s license for iRacing expired after the end of the 2022 season because of its exclusive agreement with Motorsport Games.

That’s resulted in significant changes for IndyCar on iRacing, which had provided a high-profile way for the series to stay visible during its 2020 shutdown from the pandemic. (Players still can race an unbranded car but don’t race on current IndyCar tracks, nor can they stream).

That’s helped ratchet up the attention on having a video game outlet for IndyCar.

“I wish we had an IndyCar title 10 years ago,” said Miles, who has been working with the organization since 2013. “We’ve been close, but we’ve had these I think speed bumps.”

IndyCar is hopeful the Motorsports Game edition will be ready at the start of 2024. Miles hinted that beta versions could be unveiled to reporters ahead of the time “to begin to show the progress in a narrow way to make sure we’ve got it right, to test the progress so that we’re ready when they’re ready.”

It’s been nearly 18 years since the release of the most recent IndyCar video game for console or PC.

“(We) better get it right,” Miles said. “It’s something we’re very close to and continue to think about what it is to make sure we get it over the line in due course.”