For the second year running, private weather service provider UBIMET will deliver weather data directly to each Formula 1 racing team. This will provide them with the best possible chance to secure pole position.

As any racing driver knows: It is especially important to know how the weather will develop and to choose the right automotive tyres. Whilst for the average consumer the choice is only between summer and winter tyres, this decision is much more complicated for Formula 1 racing teams. As Paul Hembery, Pirelli motorsport director says: “The weather is one of the vital parameters when it comes to tyre behaviour and performance, together with circuit layout, driving style, car set-up and track surface characteristics. Rain, in particular, has a dramatic effect on grip and therefore tyre choice and strategy. How and when teams react to changing conditions often makes the difference between winning and losing.” This is one reason why the service of UBIMET’s meteorologists is important.

New year – new challenges

“Last season was quite challenging for everyone”, says Steffen Dietz, meteorologist for the Formula 1 project at UBIMET, “We learned a lot about each circuit’s unique logistical considerations.”  This requires taking into account everything: from where weather radar and track thermometer should be placed in order to capture the highest quality of data, to how measurements from multiple national weather stations to be integrated in the several computer systems and afterwards analysed by the meteorologists. But compiling the most accurate weather forecast also requires understanding the weather conditions typical to each region. “The combination of precise weather data, the best technical equipment and experience – these aspects make professional weather forecasting possible”, explains the UBIMET meteorologist.