Firestone’s offseason tire tweaks draw early praise

Tires were a big talking point in the IndyCar paddock on Friday at St. Petersburg.

Firestone’s offseason efforts to make its street course primary compound take longer to warm up and last longer before notable degradation sets in appeared to be achieved. Its new alternate compound also drew positive reviews, which should be helpful after IndyCar enacted a new rule that requires every driver to use two sets of alternates in every street race.

“I do think the red (alternate) will probably trend to being the preferred, but you know, it's early days. Maybe not. Maybe the primary will be better,” said Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden after completing the cool, windy, overcast, and humid session.

“It's cooler. Today, definitely, I think the grip level was pretty solid. If it gets sunny on Sunday, for whatever reason, then that will be different. It's just always so hard to predict. If I was to try and guess, I think the red looks like it's going to be a better tire throughout, but we might get to Sunday and not feel that way. So we just have to see how we trend here."

Dale Coyne Racing’s Romain Grosjean spent a year away from IndyCar, which made his take on the new compounds especially insightful.

“I think the first thing that (was) a bit of surprise to everyone is (the primaries) took a long time to warm up and to get into it. So it does feel like they're probably a little bit harder than what I remember,” Grosjean said.

“We'll see what the race does, but I think I am in favor of double red tire in the street course. I think that's going to open strategy. I think it's going to open a bit more scratching your head on how you drive the car. That's something that we have done a lot in Europe, you know, tire management. I'm hoping that I can use that to my advantage, you know, being an old man with a bit of experience.”