The pressure will be on tyre manufacturer Pirelli as much as those trying to catch Formula One leader Sebastian Vettel at this weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix.
While Vettel's rivals try to stop him from extending his lead before the mid-season break, Pirelli hopes its much-lamented tyres withstand the meltingly hot temperatures expected on Sunday outside Budapest.
Last week, the teams held in-season testing sessions at Silverstone to assess new tyres after several spectacular blowouts on the same circuit at the British Grand Prix in June.
"We haven't asked for different tyres, we have asked for tyres that are safe," three-time defending champion Vettel said. "It's hard to know what to expect here."
Under intense pressure, and following its own investigation, Pirelli decided that from this race until the end of the season, it will revert to last year's tyres combined with the current tread compounds.
Even before Silverstone, there were repeated problems - with the Spanish GP in May turning into a pit-stop procession as tyres shredded.
At Silverstone, they exploded on four cars, including those of Lewis Hamilton and Felipe Massa.
Vettel won that race to open up a 34-point lead over two-time champion Fernando Alonso - who has not won since his 32nd career GP in front of his home fans in Barcelona.
In the four races since, he has managed two podiums, fourth and seventh place, as Ferrari searches for consistency.
"The second half of the season will be extremely tough, lots of races in only a few weeks," Vettel said.
"With the points system we have, obviously it's a very good position we are in at the moment."
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