here an excerpt from an interview with di Grassi [current Pirelli tester]
the "advantage" Vettel seems to have at the moment, is due to an specific characteristic of the tyres.
it seems, according to di Grassi, that the tyres don´t cope well with combined conditions. (braking while turning, accelerating while still turning)
they seem to be good at providing either lateral or longitunal grip, but not both at the same time (e.g. trailbraking), and most of all they seem to be
very sensitive against overheating/ loadings for extented periods of time.
So a style, which can a.) live with some rear instability and b.) cut short the duration of loading the tyres seems to be an advantage.
If Vettel can use the instability to turn the car (yaw) around quicker at the appex, he has the car pointing straight out of the corner, so can use all the available
grip for accelerating, while others may still have sideload (lateral load) on the tyre. This additional lateral load, will put more "stress" on the tyre, and make the tyre
heat up more, which in turn will mean the tyre degrades more (quickly).
I think the key is, to just have the correct amount of rotation, as to much will mean, that you need to correct (the OS), which means again additional load for longer
on the tyres, especially the front tyres.
hope it helps to may clear this up a bit.
someone else used the expession "tron like" driving (as in the movie), basicly describing a style, which cuts short the transition phase between braking -> cornering -> accelerating.
keep in mind, that if we talk about heating up of the tyres, we talk about energy, so the time component is important, as longer a load (lateral &/or longitudinal) as more energy goes into the tyre
Hmmm... Makes a lot of sense.
Thanks alot.
Explains the troubles that Schumi and Hamilton have had with these tyres too.
Seb does seem to have a very unique style that combines smoothness with aggression. Explains why he can look like he is on the edge and still be easy on his tyres.
Besides, the amazing reflexes that Peter Windsor claims to see in Seb might be what helps him to cut short that transition between braking, cornering and accelerating. Looking at Jim Clark's onboards makes me wonder whether he also had a similar driving style. But my untrained eye cannot say for sure.