We have heard a lot about the expected changes to the racing the new aero will make this year. But less about the equally new Pirelli tyres. They are arguably every bit as critical as the aero in determining whether F1’s aim for more on-track action is realised.

Pirelli’s Mario Isola was keen to point out in the company’s 2022 motorsport presentation that the new 18-inch F1 tyres work in a very different way to those of before and have been conceived to meet the requests of the drivers, “who have asked for less overheating so that they can push harder in the race”.

“So we have followed this direction with an optimised footprint and a new range of compounds.”

If drivers were to find they needed to manage their pace through a stint just as much as before, the aerodynamic solutions to F1’s long-term overtaking conundrum wouldn’t necessarily help much. It is crucial that these tyres do as Pirelli claims.

Fans may not realise that the pace of the cars on race day is usually whole seconds slower than they could potentially go. The drivers cannot push hard on the tyres if they are to get the stint lengths required for the shortest possible race time.

It sounds counter-intuitive, but the fastest way to finish the race has been to drive a couple of seconds off the pace. This has been the case for many years now, to a greater or lesser extent.

Usually the limitation is thermal degradation of the rear tyres. If a driver were to drive as close to the limit in the race as in qualifying, the tyre temperatures would soar way past the point of no return within about three laps.

Once they have reached this level of overheating the rubber hardens, becoming hopelessly grip