During a four-day test at the Andalusian circuit, from Tuesday to Friday (7-10 February) each car will have 25 sets of Pirelli’s new soft, medium and hard compounds available, along with the wet tyres if needed. Teams are allowed a maximum of 100 sets of tyres per car each year for testing purposes, and they are permitted to choose the compounds they would like to test within their allowance. None of the teams have nominated the supersoft compound for Jerez: the only compound to remain unchanged from 2011.

Experimental compounds for the 2012 tyres were tried out during some of the free practice sessions last year, as well as at the young driver test following the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. However, the regular drivers now have the opportunity to test the new compounds together with the new profiles for the tyres, which this year are much ‘squarer’ in order to provide a greater contact patch and deliver a longer period of peak performance, while maintaining an overall lifespan in the region of 100 kilometres.

The tyres have been designed to provide more grip at the rear of the car, following the latest changes in the aerodynamic regulations that ban blown exhausts for 2012.

Once more the teams will start from scratch, as all the compounds apart from the supersoft are new, with more visible colour markings. In the unlikely event that it rains in the south of Spain next week, the drivers will also get to try out the new Cinturato rubber: the designation for the intermediate and full wet tyres – which echo the name of Pirelli’s first Formula One tyres from the 1950s.

With the 2012 cars in different phases of development, and some new drivers as well, the emphasis in Jerez will not be on peak performance but instead on understanding the characteristics of the new tyres and matching them to the cars.

The 4.43-kilometre Jerez circuit has hosted both the Spanish and European Grands Prix previously, and it is a popular venue for Formula One testing due to its technical configuration and year-round warm weather. It was one of the venues that Pirelli used for testing in 2010, when the company was building up to its return to Formula One.

The track contains quite a wide variety of corners, ranging from slow curves to some medium to fast bends. The layout puts particular emphasis on rear tyres, which have to work hard to supply the best traction throughout an ample range of speeds. While Jerez does not result in especially high top speeds, every aspect of a car’s performance is comprehensively tested.

Pirelli’s Motorsport Director Paul Hembery said: “After a successful first season in 2011, we are determined to help provide an even better spectacle this year, which is why the entire tyre range has been renewed. At this early point, the emphasis for the teams is expected to be on learning the new tyres and it will be interesting to see which approach they take to that process. Last year, it didn’t take the teams long at all to understand the characteristics of our tyres, and while we are sure that this will be the case again, there will be less of an element of surprise this year, as to some extent the teams know what to expect from our products. This rapid pace of development and reaction is what makes Formula One our ultimate research tool, enhancing Pirelli’s status as the world leader in the Ultra High Performance sector.”

While the teams are testing the 2012 Formula One compounds for the first time, the brand new P Zero Silver road car tyre will also be launched in Jerez: the first of a series of specialised tyres from Pirelli that use Formula One technology. The P Zero Silver road tyre – the same name that is given to the hardest compound in the Formula One range – is designed to combine performance with durability, created for motorists who enjoy sporty driving and cover more than 20,000 kilometres a year.

As well as a name, the P Zero Silver shares Pirelli’s sporting DNA with the Formula One tyres, making use of the same sophisticated design technology that has gone into the tyres that will take to the track in Jerez.

For further information please contact:
Alexandra Schieren +33 607 03 69 03 alexandra.schieren@pirelli.com

Anthony Peacock +44 7765 896 930 anthony@mediatica.co.uk

***

Francescopaolo Tarallo +39 334 684 4307 francescopaolo.tarallo@pirelli.com
(Head of Motorsport and Product Communications)

PDF Version (401 KB)

More angular profiles and softer compounds to compensate for the new aerodynamic set-ups of the cars

Alongside the p zero slick compounds, on the wet weather tyres the cinturato name returns, with which pirelli made its formula one debut in 1951

The colours on the tyre sidewalls have been modified to make the different compounds more visible

Tyre performance, temperature and pressure data is available for teams, engineers, and pirelli’s researchers to see in real time – thanks to the very first formula one tyre virtual database,
designed by the italian firm

Abu Dhabi, 25 January 2012. Pirelli gets the 2012 Formula One season underway, its second as sole supplier, by presenting the new range of tyres for the 63rd FIA World Championship at the Yas Marina circuit in Abu Dhabi. The key characteristics of the new tyres – developed by Pirelli together with the teams in response to the latest aerodynamic regulations regarding blown exhausts – are: squarer profiles, increased grip, and softer, more competitive compounds with consistent degradation.

The objective for the 2012 tyres is to ensure entertaining races that remain unpredictable all the way up to the chequered flag, with two to three pit stops per race and a strong emphasis on team strategies. The coloured markings on the sidewalls now change to become bigger and more easily recognisable, while the Cinturato name that has become emblematic in Formula One history returns: the tyre with which Pirelli raced and won in the 1950s. From 2012, Cinturato will denote the full wet and intermediate tyres.

Pirelli’s Racing Tyre System also returns, with some new functionality. This is a platform created by Pirelli’s engineers in order to record the behaviour and performance of each tyre: information that is shared with the teams and Formula One Management (FOM).

The presentation took place today at an international press conference hosted by Marco Tronchetti Provera, the President and CEO of Pirelli, Motorsport Director Paul Hembery, and Research and Development Director Maurizio Boiocchi.

Marco Tronchetti Provera said: “After the positive experience of last year, the teams asked us to continue providing tyres with the characteristics that contributed to spectacular races in 2011. And this is what we have done, optimising the compounds and profiles in order to guarantee even better and more stable performance, combined with the deliberate degradation that characterised the P Zero range from 2011. We’re expecting unpredictable races, with a wide range of strategies and a number of pit stops: all factors that both competitors and spectators greatly enjoyed last year. The development work on the new compounds took place throughout the 2011 season, thanks to the impressive learning curve and reaction times from our engineers, who are ready to continue those evolutions during the season ahead.”

New for 2012: more competitive compounds and ‘squarer’ tyres

Just as was the case last year, Pirelli will supply the teams with four slick tyre compounds – supersoft, soft, medium and hard – along with two types of wet weather tyre as prescribed by the FIA rules (see separate article). All the P Zero slick tyres will feature a brand new profile compared to 2011 and three of them (the soft, medium and hard) will also have new compounds. The new compounds are softer, with increased grip, better performance, a longer performance peak, but an unaltered overall lifespan. Of the wet weather tyres, only the full wet – the Cinturato Blue – has changed, while the intermediate tyre, the Cinturato Green, is unaltered (see separate article).

Also unchanged from last year are some fundamental characteristics that all six Pirelli tyres have in common: safety, reliability, structural integrity, driving precision, and fast yet distinctly different degradation curves among the assorted compounds. Pirelli’s research and development methodology is the same as well. The design and testing of the 2012 tyres has benefitted from an on-going dialogue with teams and drivers, who contributed to the development of the new P Zero and Cinturato tyres over the last season. The results of on-track tests have been integrated with the data from simulation, which is able to recreate and predict tyre behaviour and performance in all the circuit and weather conditions of the 20 tracks that make up the Formula One calendar.

The evolution of the Pirelli tyres for 2012 has also taken into account the regulation changes introduced by the FIA regarding blown exhausts. This new measure, which should result in a reduction of aerodynamic downforce acting on each tyre, requires a wider and more even contact patch. This objective has been met by having a less rounded shoulder on each tyre and using softer compounds, which produce better grip and more extreme performance. The performance gap has changed as well between the different compounds, which all now perform better. During the 2011 season, there was a difference of between 1.2 and 1.8 seconds per lap among the different compounds. This year, the objective is to reduce that to less than a second: between six and eight tenths.

The compounds for the new season synthesise and build on the evolutions already carried out by Pirelli’s engineers on the 2011 tyres. These have been formulated by Pirelli’s Research and Development division in Milan, using the information obtained when experimental tyres were tested during free practice at grands prix in Sepang, Montreal, Silverstone, Nurburgring, Abu Dhabi and Interlagos last year, as well as the young driver test at Abu Dhabi in November. These tests used a total of 6,000 tyres, which covered around 11,000 kilometres. On top of that, Pirelli carried out five private tests in Istanbul, Barcelona (twice), Jerez and Monza, driving for 9,000 kilometres.

Pirelli’s new Formula One tyres will make their debut at Jerez on 7 February, at the first official test of the 2012 season.

Racing Tyre System: Pirelli creates a passport for each tyre.

In order to develop the 2012 tyres, Pirelli’s engineers relied heavily on the Racing Tyre System (RTS): a computer-based platform able to gather and process the performance data of every tyre during tests and races. The Racing Tyre System, developed by Pirelli’s Information Technology department, allows users to monitor the performance, wear and behaviour of the tyres throughout every phase of their use. On top of that, the RTS tracks the life of each tyre from construction to circuit, updating, in real-time, its use, performance and wear rate. After each tyre has been made in the Izmit factory – where all of Pirelli’s competition tyres are produced – the RTS registers the construction data of each tyre as a type of individual passport. The information on each tyre is built up as it arrives at a circuit and gets fitted onto a car. From that point on, the tyre’s temperature, pressure and wear rate are all registered and made immediately available to Pirelli’s engineers on the track, using special tablet computers, as well as to Pirelli’s research division in Milan and to all the teams. This constitutes a virtual database that is continually updated, forming the starting point for analysis of each car’s performance and future development of the tyres (see separate article).

The Cinturato returns: a world champion in the 1950s

The 2012 season marks the return of the Cinturato name to the pinnacle of world motorsport: a brand that is not only linked to Formula One but also to the entire industrial history of tyre manufacture. The Cinturato made its debut in 1951 on Juan Manuel Fangio’s Alfa 159, taking him to championship victory, and was often seen on the podium along with another Pirelli tyre: the Stella Bianca, which was fitted to the Maserati and the Ferrari 375. The Cinturato competed in Formula One right up to the mid 1950s, after which it became a road car tyre for the most sporting and technically advanced cars of the day.

The Cinturato tyre really made its name as a benchmark in the automotive industry throughout the 1960s, when it was at the forefront of mass motoring.The innovative technology, developed for the Cinturato in the 1950s, took its name from the radial belt (or ‘cintura’, in Italian) that went all the way around the tyre carcass, initially made out of textile fibre and later out of metal. This innovation paved the way for wider tyres that were able to cope with the higher cornering speeds reached by cars from the 1960s onwards. Today, as well as denoting Pirelli’s wet weather Formula One tyres, the Cinturato identifies one of the most successful products in the global tyre industry: the Cinturato P7, which perfectly illustrates Pirelli’s brand values of performance, safety, durability and energy-saving.

Pirelli’s Formula One team

Pirelli will supply a total of 45,000 tyres for the entirety of the 2012 Formula One World Championship. The tyres for the top level of world motorsport will be produced at Pirelli’s dedicated competition facility within the factory at Izmit, Turkey, which is one of the most advanced of its kind in the world. Pirelli’s engineers have put in place state-of-the-art machinery and innovative technologies to make tyres that are perfectly suited to the demands of grand prix racing (see separate article).

At races and during official tests, the Pirelli F1 team numbers 50 specialists, from engineers to technicians. Each Formula One team relies on one dedicated Pirelli engineer, as well as on the entire squad of technicians and fitters.

Pirelli’s F1 team is made up of people who come from all four corners of the globe, but is based in Milan: Pirelli’s Research and Development headquarters. This department has always been at the heart of the Pirelli Group’s cutting-edge technology and employs 1,000 researchers, located in five centres around the world. Motorsport has consistently been Pirelli’s most important research laboratory, from which the Group has developed some of the industry-defining innovations in the tyre sector.

The tyre supply agreement to Formula One marks the pinnacle of Pirelli’s presence throughout the world of motorsport, in which the Italian firm has been involved since 1907 when it won the Peking-Paris road race. Pirelli is also the exclusive supplier to some of the world’s most important motorsport championships, both on two and four wheels – such as the GP2 and GP3 Series and the World Superbike Championship. On top of this, the Italian firm supplies more than 70 national and international race and rally series, having been the exclusive tyre provider to the World Rally Championship from 2008-2010.

Formula One and sustainability

Following on from the Pirelli Premium strategy, dedicated to the design of products and solutions that combine the highest standards of performance and safety with respect for the environment, the Formula One tyre supply agreement is also inspired by criteria of environmental sustainability. In common with all of Pirelli’s other motorsport tyres, heavily aromatic oils have been eliminated from the P Zero production process. The industrial processes used in Izmit are based on energy and water efficiency and the reduction of harmful emissions like carbon dioxide. Special attention is given to the re-use of production remnants and used tyres. The waste handling protocol includes the recycling of used Formula One tyres for either the generation of new primary material or energy production.

The total output of the tyres made throughout the 2011 season – 28,600 for races and 6,00 for tests – were all recycled.

Pirelli’s attention to sustainability is also shown by its recent confirmation in the Dow Jones Sustainability STOXX and Dow Jones Sustainability World Indices, where the Group has been the leading company in the ‘Autoparts and Tires’ sector for six consecutive years.

Pirelli in the Middle East

Pirelli is among the market leaders in the Middle East, an area that has witnessed a consistent increase in the Ultra High Performance sector over the last few years, where Pirelli leads the way. Pirelli’s local headquarters is in Dubai, importing tyres from Europe from the most prestigious range in the line-up: the P Zero family. These have been developed for the most powerful sports cars currently on sale, such as Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche, Aston Martin and Bentley. Pirelli also has a strong presence in the local market for bus and truck tyres, which are made at Pirelli’s facility in Alexandria, Egypt. The industrial and logistical hub, located at Izmit in Turkey, produces tyres for both cars and commercial vehicles and is also fundamental in servicing Middle Eastern markets.

For further information please contact:

Francescopaolo Tarallo +39 334 684 4307 francescopaolo.tarallo@pirelli.com

Alexandra Schieren +33 607 03 69 03 alexandra.schieren@pirelli.com

PDF Version (93 KB)

• • Total number of tyres provided for the season (dry and wets): Race tyres: 24,000 dry tyres; 4,600 wet tyres plus an additional 6,000 for the tests
• • Total numbers of tyres used: Dry tyres: 21,100; wet tyres: 2,900
• • Total kilogrammes of rubber deposited on track in 2011: 10,200
• • Number of tyres recycled during 2011: All, i.e. 28,600 race tyres plus 6,000 test tyres
• • Average life span of a dry compound this season: 120 km

Tracks and Races

• • Tracks which puts the most energy into a tyre per km (lateral, braking, traction, etc.): Barcelona and Suzuka
• • Track which puts the least energy into a tyre per km (lateral, braking, traction, etc.): Monza
• • Longest continuous energy input into a tyre: Istanbul (Turn 8 )
• • Track with the ‘easiest’ corners in terms of tyres: Montréal  
• • Longest race of the year: Montréal with 4hrs 04min 39.537s
• • Shortest races of the year: Monza with 1hrs 20min 46.272s
• • Pole position lap records broken: 11
• • Race lap records broken: 2
• • Most laps led on Pirelli tyres: 739 (Sebastian Vettel)
• • Highest speed reached by a P Zero F1 tyre: 349.2 kph (Sergio Perez in Monza Qualifying)

Pit stops

• • Total number of pit stops for the year: 1111 (really! – of which 22 were a Drive Through and 4 a stop-go penalty)
• • Total average number of stops per race: 58.4, i.e. 2.25 per driver
• • Most pit stops in a race: Hungary (88 – of which 3 were a Drive Through)
• • Least pit stops in a race: Italy (35)
• • Fastest pit stop time: 2.82 seconds (Mercedes GP, Chinese Grand Prix)

Overtaking

• • Number of overtaking manoeuvres (most in World Championship history): 1150 (after Abu Dhabi)
• • Most overtaking manoeuvres in a dry race (= most ever): 126 at the 2011 Turkish Grand Prix
• • Most overtaking manoeuvres in a wet race (= most ever): 125 at the 2011 Canadian Grand Prix

Other interesting numbers

• • Total number of F1 drivers to have driven on P Zero compounds: 57 (including third drivers and young drivers)
• • Oldest driver to have driven a P Zero F1 tyre: Martin Brundle (51 years old)
• • Youngest driver to have driven a P Zero F1 tyre: Kevin Ceccon (18 years old)
• • Total kilometres driven by all the P Zero compounds in 2011: 307,657 km (races and tests)
• • Coldest track/ground temperatures Pirelli P Zero tyres have run: German Grand Prix at 13 degrees Celsius; coldest overall: Valencia winter testing at 6 degrees
• • Hottest track/ground temperatures Pirelli P Zero tyres have run: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at 43 degrees Celsius; hottest overall: Abu Dhabi Young Driver Test 49 degrees Celsius
• • Total weight of tyres each fitter handles during a season: 16,389 kgs
• • Average time taken for a Pirelli fitter to fit an F1 tyre from scratch: 2m30s
• • Time taken for Sebastian Vettel to fit an F1 tyre from scratch: 5m13s

Pirelli F1 and its people

• • Total number of Pirelli people travelling to a race: 52
• • Total number of nationalities within the Pirelli F1 team: 10
• • Total number of languages within the Pirelli F1 team: 14
• • Number of hours that Paul Hembery has been interviewed at GP events: 61 hrs, 25 min
• • Total number of goals scored by Paul’s favourite football team, Bristol City, during the season: 18

Pirelli’s F1 Trucks & Hospitality

• • Total amount of trucks at European races: 12
• • Total kilometers travelled by Pirelli’s trucks in 2011: 925,326
• • Number of hours needed to put up and take down Pirelli’s hospitality unit in Europe: 10 hours to put up; 8 hours to take down
• • Number of people required to put up and take down Pirelli’s hospitality unit in Europe: 6
• • Numbers of meals served at the Pirelli F1 hospitality (incl tests): 28,612
• • Number of cups of espresso served by Pirelli hospitality during the season (incl tests): 43,250
• • Kilogrammes of pasta cooked by Pirelli’s chef during the season (incl tests): 1,220 (all types combined!)

Pirelli in Formula One overall (since 1950)

• • Races started: 222
• • Wins: 63
• • Pole positions: 66
• • Podium places: 196
• • Fastest laps: 70

***

Follow us on Twitter @ Pirelli_Media or Facebook on www.facebook.com/Pirelli
Please visit the Pirelli F1 blog at www.pirellif1blog.com

For further information please contact:

Alexandra Schieren +33 607 03 69 03 alexandra.schieren@pirelli.com

Anthony Peacock +44 7765 896 930 anthony@mediatica.co.uk

**

Francescopaolo Tarallo +39 334 684 4307 francescopaolo.tarallo@pirelli.com

(Head of Product and Motorsport Media Relations)

PDF Version (321 KB)

With the anticipated threat of rain eventually holding off, Red Bull Racing’s Mark Webber claimed his first win of a remarkable debut season for Pirelli at the final grand prix, using the new P Zero Yellow soft tyres and the P Zero White medium tyres.

Webber took the lead on lap 29, after his team mate Sebastian Vettel lost time with a gearbox problem, having led from pole. Webber adopted a three-stop strategy, using three sets of soft tyres and one set of medium tyres to win the race by 16.9 seconds from his team mate. It was Webber’s seventh career victory, securing him third place in the final championship standings.

A few isolated raindrops fell on the Interlagos paddock about an hour before the race started, but the grand prix got underway in dry conditions and temperatures of around 24 degrees. All 24 cars started on the P Zero Yellow soft tyres, giving them greater flexibility in their strategies in case of rain – which never materialised.

McLaren’s Jenson Button was the first driver to switch to the medium tyre on lap 31, using a different strategy to his team mate Lewis Hamilton. The top four runners all adopted a three-stop strategy, with Ferrari driver Felipe Massa the highest-placed two-stopper in fifth, having run two stints on the soft tyre and one final stint on the medium.

Button was the only driver to use the P Zero White medium for two stints, making his last stop on lap 52. The Englishman was able to push hard during his final stint, as he chased a top-three finish, which he claimed with nine laps to go: his eighth podium in nine races that cemented his runner-up place in the drivers’ championship.

The fastest lap of the race was also set on the P Zero White medium tyre, by Mark Webber on the very final lap. It was Webber’s eighth fastest lap this year on Pirelli tyres.

Pirelli’s motorsport director Paul Hembery commented: “This didn’t turn out to be the race that most people expected, with the predicted rain holding off. At the last race of the season there were a few mechanical issues for some cars, but our tyres were completely reliable – as they have been all year, with no structural failures – and we achieved our objective of having a performance gap of less than a second between the compounds, which should be the case next year as well. It’s been a season that has, if anything, exceeded our expectations – where we’ve seen the most overtaking in the history of the Formula One World Championship – and I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all of our team in Milan, Didcot and Izmit for their extraordinary work this season. They should all be proud of their achievements. I’d also like to thank all the teams and drivers for their unstinting support, advice and partnership.”

***

PLEASE SEE ATTACHED PDF DOCUMENT FOR PIT STOP SUMMARY

***

Follow us on Twitter @ Pirelli_Media or Facebook on www.facebook.com/Pirelli
Please visit the Pirelli F1 blog at www.pirellif1blog.com

For further information please contact:

Alexandra Schieren +33 607 03 69 03 alexandra.schieren@pirelli.com

Anthony Peacock +44 7765 896 930 anthony@mediatica.co.uk

**

Francescopaolo Tarallo +39 334 684 4307 francescopaolo.tarallo@pirelli.com

(Head of Product and Motorsport Media Relations)

PDF Version (104 KB)

Two-time world champion Sebastian Vettel used the Pirelli tyres to become the driver who has scored the most pole positions in one season. By claiming his 15^th pole position at the 19^th and last grand prix of the year, the Red Bull Racing driver beats the record established by Nigel Mansell that has stood since 1992.

Qualifying got underway in ambient temperatures of 27 degrees centigrade with cloudy conditions, underlining the risk of rain that is frequently a feature of the Brazilian Grand Prix. In order to get in a lap as quickly as possible, most drivers headed straight out at the beginning of qualifying one, with both Red Bulls, both McLarens, Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso and Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg using the P Zero White mediums to get through to qualifying two. The sudden rush caused plenty of traffic on one of the shortest circuits of the year, adding to the challenge for the drivers.

It was a similar story during qualifying two, but this time all the drivers went straight onto the P Zero Yellow soft tyres in order to maximise dry running, with rain clouds just two kilometres away. The top drivers completed just one run during qualifying two, in order to maintain as many fresh soft tyres as possible for the final session.

Conditions remained dry for qualifying three, with different approaches from the top runners on the P Zero Yellow tyres. McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton and Rosberg both completed a slower lap to warm up the tyres followed by a fast lap, while the Red Bull Racing cars and McLaren’s Jenson Button were straight onto a quick lap.

Vettel set a time of 1m12.268s on his first run and then beat his own benchmark during the second run with a time of 1m11.918s on the soft tyres. His team mate Mark Webber qualified second ahead of the two McLarens. Mercedes driver Michael Schumacher went out on the medium tyre but did not set a time.

Vettel also went quickest during the final free practice session this morning, held in dry and warm conditions, with a time of 1m12.460s on the P Zero Yellow: fractionally ahead of McLaren driver Jenson Button.

Pirelli’s motorsport director Paul Hembery commented: “It was interesting for us to see the performance of our new compound in qualifying conditions, and I’d like to congratulate Sebastian Vettel for breaking the record of the most number of poles in one season with a spectacular lap: I actually had a bet with one of my colleagues that somebody would get under the 1m12s mark today. After the threat of rain didn’t materialise, it turned out to be a reasonably straightforward qualifying, but most people are expecting a much more mixed up race tomorrow. That’s obviously going to have a huge impact on the strategy, so we may well see our P Zero Orange wet tyres and P Zero Blue intermediates making their final appearance of the year.”

***

Follow us on Twitter @ Pirelli_Media or Facebook on www.facebook.com/Pirelli
Please also visit the Pirelli F1 blog at www.pirellif1blog.com.

For further information please contact:

Alexandra Schieren +33 607 03 69 03 alexandra.schieren@pirelli.com
Anthony Peacock +44 7765 896 930 anthony@mediatica.co.uk
**
Francescopaolo Tarallo +39 334 684 4307 francescopaolo.tarallo@pirelli.com
(Head of Product and Motorsport Media Relations)

PDF Version (81 KB)

For the race, the drivers have the current P Zero White medium tyre nominated along with a new P Zero Yellow soft compound, which was used at the young driver test in Abu Dhabi last week and during free practice at the German Grand Prix. All the teams tried out both of the new compounds today, in preparation for the final race of the year.

In total, the teams had five sets of tyres available for Friday. All the sets were returned at the end of the day, leaving them with their usual allocation for the rest of the weekend.

During the first free practice session in the morning, where nobody used the soft compound, Red Bull Racing’s Mark Webber went quickest with a time of 1m13.811s on the P Zero White medium tyres.

In the afternoon, the teams concentrated on longer runs with full fuel (between 120 and 160 kilogrammes) using both nominated compounds in order to simulate race conditions. The weather was dry and warm with an ambient temperature of 26 degrees centigrade and track temperature of 41 degrees, although cooler conditions are expected for the race. In the last half hour of free practice most of the drivers ran on the soft compound, with McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton going fastest thanks to a time of 1m13.392s. The top seven were separated less than four-tenths of a second.

The P Zero Yellow soft tyre is expected to last for up to 25 laps on Sunday with the P Zero White medium tyre lasting for around 35 laps. This means that most drivers should stop two or three times on Sunday. There is around 0.8s seconds per lap difference between the soft and the medium tyres so far, opening up a wide variety of possible strategies. However, rain showers are predicted both tomorrow afternoon as well as for the race on Sunday, which could have a dramatic effect on the action.

Pirelli’s motorsport director Paul Hembery said: “This weekend is our last chance to test our new compounds until official testing starts in February, so we intend to make the most of it. We’ve got some reasonably significant changes planned for next year. The first indications are that we are on course to achieve our objective of decreasing the gap in lap times between the compounds to less than a second but of course there’s still plenty more to come. In the coming days we’ll be analysing the data and feedback from the drivers as we continue to work towards 2012. Before then, we’ve got the final grand prix of the year to look forward to, where we’ll see the new soft tyre in action on this demanding Interlagos track, which challenges the rear tyres in particular. A lot will depend on the weather of course: Brazil has a habit of producing some very dramatic races and it would be great to finish our first season on a high.”

Pirelli fact of the day:

The fight for pole position will be particularly special tomorrow, because if Red Bull Racing’s Sebastian Vettel clinches his 15^th pole position of the season he will break the record of 14 established by Nigel Mansell in 1992. However, the 2010 Brazilian Grand Prix also marked the last occasion that a Red Bull Racing car was not on pole, courtesy of Williams driver Nico Hulkenberg. When it comes to the race, if Vettel finishes on the podium, he will equal the record set of 17 podiums in one year set by Michael Schumacher in 1992.

***

Follow us on Twitter @ Pirelli_Media or Facebook on www.facebook.com/Pirelli
Please also visit the Pirelli F1 blog at www.pirellif1blog.com.

For further information please contact:

Alexandra Schieren +33 607 03 69 03 alexandra.schieren@pirelli.com
Anthony Peacock +44 7765 896 930 anthony@mediatica.co.uk
**
Francescopaolo Tarallo +39 334 684 4307 francescopaolo.tarallo@pirelli.com
(Head of Product and Motorsport Media Relations)

PDF Version (70 KB)

The 71-lap race in Brazil has several unusual features to it, such as an anti-clockwise layout, an uphill start-finish straight (which increases the risk of the anti-stall mechanism kicking in at the start) and varying elevation, making it a popular venue for road cycling races as well. Here are some of the key points of the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace (as it is officially known) from a tyre point of view:

The track

The start-finish straight is the highest part of a circuit, leading quickly downhill into the Senna Esses: a complex of corners where the stability of the car is vital, providing a good overtaking opportunity.

Under full acceleration at 250kph the drivers tackle the Curva do Sol, which generates a sideways acceleration of 4G. This places a heavy demand on the tyre structure and compound throughout the corner.

On the Reto Opposta straight the top speed is 310kph, on a bumpy surface that tends to destabilise the cars. The structure of the tyre absorbs the bumps in the track and neutralises the vertical movement of the chassis, meaning that the car is perfectly planted to the ground for the braking area and the following corner.

After the straight there is a complex of slower corners, taken in second and third gear, where the drivers use the kerbs. Here there is little downforce and traction is crucial, meaning that the tyres have to generate the entire grip required to take the car through this complicated series of bends.

Afterwards the track climbs back uphill towards the start finish straight in a series of increasingly fast left-hand corners, putting plenty of energy through the tyres. The final corner is crucial to get the correct drive onto the start-finish straight, by getting on the power as early as possible. Again, it’s down to the tyres to translate the torque from the engine into effective grip as soon as possible. The track is less bumpy than it used to be since being resurfaced in 2005.

Pit stop strategy will be helped by the short time that it takes to make a stop: less than 20 seconds from start to finish.

Road car tyres and competition tyres

The return of Pirelli to Formula One has placed the tyre at the centre of attention for sports’ lovers and drivers around the world. But how much do a P Zero Formula One tyre and its road-going equivalent really have in common?

The P Zero racing tyre is wider than a normal road tyre with an extremely rigid internal structure and a high shoulder. The road tyre by contrast is characterised by a deep tread pattern and a hard compound in order to guarantee a long life.

A P Zero road tyre will last for many thousands of kilometres, whereas a competition tyre will do around a hundred – but in the most dramatic way possible. The contact patch of a P Zero Formula One tyre can increase by up to three times under full aerodynamic loading at high speed, whereas the footprint of a road car tyre will always stay largely the same.

The P Zero track tyre is instead designed for maximum performance, giving perfect grip at speeds that are enough to generate 4G of lateral acceleration through fast corners.

This is four times as much grip as a road tyre will provide, thanks to an operating temperature of more than 100 degrees centigrade that maximises the F1 tyre’s adhesion to the road surface. A road P Zero tyre operates at up to 40 degrees centigrade, thanks to its harder compound.

The superior grip of the P Zero F1 tyre is highlighted even more by braking performance. A road car generates 1G of deceleration under braking, but a Formula One car produces a figure of 5G, being able to slow from 330kph to 80kph in around three seconds.

The difference is just as pronounced when it comes to the rain tyres. On a wet surface, Pirelli’s rain tyres will disperse around 60 litres of water per second. A soft compound and aerodynamic loading provides excellent road holding even at high speeds, with a dry contact patch and total control for the driver.

A road car tyre will disperse around 13 litres of water per second; an amount that will ensure perfect safety for every type of car under normal driving conditions.

But Formula One is far from normal driving conditions. The astonishing grip from tyres that have been specifically developed for racing allows the cars to make the most of all their power and acceleration.

A road car will go from zero to 60kph in about two and a half seconds. In the same time a single-seater will have reached 100kph. Both cars will have doubled their speed in the next five seconds. The difference in performance, grip and lateral road holding is so pronounced, that only P Zero competition tyres are effective enough to cope with the demands that are placed on them. 

***

Pirelli’s first season of Formula One after 20 years comes to an end at Interlagos: one of the shortest but most thrilling circuits on the calendar. Coming exactly eight months after the season started in Australia, this is the latest weekend of the year that the Formula One season has concluded since 1963.

The 71-lap race in Brazil has several unusual features to it, such as an anti-clockwise layout, an uphill start-finish straight (which increases the risk of the anti-stall mechanism kicking in at the start) and varying elevation, making it a popular venue for road cycling races as well. Here are some of the key points of the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace (as it is officially known) from a tyre point of view:

The track

The start-finish straight is the highest part of a circuit, leading quickly downhill into the Senna Esses: a complex of corners where the stability of the car is vital, providing a good overtaking opportunity.

Under full acceleration at 250kph the drivers tackle the Curva do Sol, which generates a sideways acceleration of 4G. This places a heavy demand on the tyre structure and compound throughout the corner.

On the Reto Opposta straight the top speed is 310kph, on a bumpy surface that tends to destabilise the cars. The structure of the tyre absorbs the bumps in the track and neutralises the vertical movement of the chassis, meaning that the car is perfectly planted to the ground for the braking area and the following corner.

After the straight there is a complex of slower corners, taken in second and third gear, where the drivers use the kerbs. Here there is little downforce and traction is crucial, meaning that the tyres have to generate the entire grip required to take the car through this complicated series of bends.

Afterwards the track climbs back uphill towards the start finish straight in a series of increasingly fast left-hand corners, putting plenty of energy through the tyres. The final corner is crucial to get the correct drive onto the start-finish straight, by getting on the power as early as possible. Again, it’s down to the tyres to translate the torque from the engine into effective grip as soon as possible. The track is less bumpy than it used to be since being resurfaced in 2005.

Pit stop strategy will be helped by the short time that it takes to make a stop: less than 20 seconds from start to finish.

Road car tyres and competition tyres

The return of Pirelli to Formula One has placed the tyre at the centre of attention for sports’ lovers and drivers around the world. But how much do a P Zero Formula One tyre and its road-going equivalent really have in common?

The P Zero racing tyre is wider than a normal road tyre with an extremely rigid internal structure and a high shoulder. The road tyre by contrast is characterised by a deep tread pattern and a hard compound in order to guarantee a long life.

A P Zero road tyre will last for many thousands of kilometres, whereas a competition tyre will do around a hundred – but in the most dramatic way possible. The contact patch of a P Zero Formula One tyre can increase by up to three times under full aerodynamic loading at high speed, whereas the footprint of a road car tyre will always stay largely the same.

The P Zero track tyre is instead designed for maximum performance, giving perfect grip at speeds that are enough to generate 4G of lateral acceleration through fast corners.

This is four times as much grip as a road tyre will provide, thanks to an operating temperature of more than 100 degrees centigrade that maximises the F1 tyre’s adhesion to the road surface. A road P Zero tyre operates at up to 40 degrees centigrade, thanks to its harder compound.

The superior grip of the P Zero F1 tyre is highlighted even more by braking performance. A road car generates 1G of deceleration under braking, but a Formula One car produces a figure of 5G, being able to slow from 330kph to 80kph in around three seconds.

The difference is just as pronounced when it comes to the rain tyres. On a wet surface, Pirelli’s rain tyres will disperse around 60 litres of water per second. A soft compound and aerodynamic loading provides excellent road holding even at high speeds, with a dry contact patch and total control for the driver.

A road car tyre will disperse around 13 litres of water per second; an amount that will ensure perfect safety for every type of car under normal driving conditions.

But Formula One is far from normal driving conditions. The astonishing grip from tyres that have been specifically developed for racing allows the cars to make the most of all their power and acceleration.

A road car will go from zero to 60kph in about two and a half seconds. In the same time a single-seater will have reached 100kph. Both cars will have doubled their speed in the next five seconds. The difference in performance, grip and lateral road holding is so pronounced, that only P Zero competition tyres are effective enough to cope with the demands that are placed on them.

Follow us on Twitter @ Pirelli_Media or Facebook on www.facebook.com/Pirelli
Please also visit the Pirelli F1 blog at www.pirellif1blog.com.

For further information please contact:

Alexandra Schieren +33 607 03 69 03 alexandra.schieren@pirelli.com
Anthony Peacock +44 7765 896 930 anthony@mediatica.co.uk
**
Francescopaolo Tarallo +39 334 684 4307 francescopaolo.tarallo@pirelli.com
(Head of Product and Motorsport Media Relations)

PDF Version (85 KB)

What’s the story?

After 18 races and 5488 kilometres so far, Pirelli will round off a remarkable season – characterised by the most overtaking in the 61-year history of the Formula One World Championship – at the iconic Interlagos circuit in Sao Paulo. It’s a venue that has produced plenty of dramatic races in the past, but now Pirelli is concentrating more on the future, with two new tyre compounds making their debut at the race.

During Friday’s two free practice sessions, drivers will have two extra sets of an experimental hard tyre, which has already been tested by Lucas di Grassi and Pirelli’s Toyota TF109 car in a private test at Jerez and Barcelona this year. This tyre is considerably softer than the current hard. The results will be fed back to Pirelli’s engineers as they prepare for the 2012 season, just as was the case during the free practice sessions in Abu Dhabi, where an experimental soft tyre was tried out.

For the race itself the P Zero Yellow soft and P Zero White medium tyres have been nominated. However, the soft tyre that has been nominated is another new compound, which was tested by the teams during the young driver test at Abu Dhabi last week and during Friday free practice at the Nurburgring.

Interlagos is well known for its passionate fans, sweeping elevation changes and anti-clockwise layout. One of the key points of the circuit for both the drivers and the tyres is the final sequence of corners from turn 10 onwards, which effectively amounts to one very long left-hand bend – putting plenty of energy through the tyres and also the drivers’ necks.

At this time of the year in Brazil, rain showers are a frequent occurrence, which are capable of turning the race on its head. As usual Pirelli will bring the P Zero Orange rain tyre and P Zero blue intermediate. Drivers are allowed a total of five sets of intermediates (if it rains on Friday, otherwise four sets) and three sets of rain tyres over the weekend under the current regulations.

Pirelli’s motorsport director says:

Paul Hembery: “Preparations for the 2012 season are well underway, so it will be really interesting to hear the thoughts of the drivers about the new hard and soft tyres that we will be trying out in Brazil. We’ve already collected plenty of information on the new soft tyre from the young driver test, so it will be useful to compare that to real race data. It’s important not to get too distracted by the names of the tyres though: what we’re calling a ‘soft’ for now could end up as a medium for next year, as that’s what the testing process is all about. In general, the tyres are going to be less conservative next year as the second half of this season has shown how well the teams have understood our product, allowing us to make some reasonably aggressive choices such as supersoft and soft for Korea. We’re delighted to be ending the season in Brazil: not only is it a legendary circuit with an amazing atmosphere but it is also a key market for Pirelli.”

The men behind the steering wheel say:

Bruno Senna (Lotus Renault): “Interlagos is a very challenging track, as it’s one of the few circuits in the season that runs anti-clockwise, as well as being narrower and bumpier than most tracks we race on nowadays. The rear tyres will get a lot of use, mainly due to the many heavy traction zones, big elevation changes, high asphalt temperatures and fairly high surface roughness. We know it will be a difficult weekend for us, as most of the corners are slow in nature and on most circuits with such profile we haven’t been particularly successful, but I believe we can finish the season on a high note and, hopefully score points. There is also, of course, the risk of weather instability, due to the close proximity to a dam, which will make the race that much more exciting.”

Technical notes:
* A lap of Interlagos is 4.309 kilometres long and the race is scheduled to last for 71 laps. The track surface is notably bumpy, which makes it hard for the tyres to find traction and increases the physical demands on the drivers.

* Interlagos is another unfamiliar circuit for Pirelli, with several important factors that will only become apparent in race conditions. However, with a relative absence of high lateral loadings, apart from during the final sector, Interlagos is not expected to be too demanding on the tyre structure.

* The wide variety of high and low speed corners, along with the big elevation changes and high altitude above sea level, mean that it is quite difficult to find the correct aerodynamic set-up and, once more, a good compromise is needed. The last sector of the lap is one of the most important when it comes to the eventual lap time, so this tends to get prioritised in terms of set-up.

The tyre choices so far:

Pirelli in Brazil:
* Brazil is one of the key markets for Pirelli. The company has five factories there (more than any other country in the world, including Italy): one for car tyres, another for car and truck, another for truck and agricultural, another for motorbikes and truck, and a final factory for steel cord.
* The rapidly-developing Latin American market is expected to account for a third of the Pirelli Group’s global profits by 2015. Pirelli is already the market leader in the region.
* Pirelli, which has been present in Brazil for more than 80 years, invested more than $300 million US dollars in its Brazilian facilities from 2008-2011. The company currently employs nearly 10,000 people countrywide.

***

Follow us on Twitter @ Pirelli_Media or Facebook on www.facebook.com/Pirelli
Please also visit the Pirelli F1 blog at www.pirellif1blog.com.

For further information please contact:

Alexandra Schieren +33 607 03 69 03 alexandra.schieren@pirelli.com
Anthony Peacock +44 7765 896 930 anthony@mediatica.co.uk
**
Francescopaolo Tarallo +39 334 684 4307 francescopaolo.tarallo@pirelli.com
(Head of Product and Motorsport Media Relations)

PDF Version (132 KB)

Pirelli has successfully tested some of its 2012 tyres at the three-day young driver test, which took place straight after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

All the teams participated in the test, which was designed for them to assess potential young drivers for the future. At the same time, Pirelli took advantage of the test to try out some of the new P Zero tyres that will be seen next year. The new front and rear profiles were assessed, together with a new potential soft compound.

The new soft compound is designed to wear more evenly and have increased thermal resistance. This reduces the possibility of blistering and should lead to more flexibility within the pit stop strategies and even closer racing in 2012.

The new front and rear profiles are more square than they were previously, which again provides a more even wear rate. The latest tyres also generate more grip from the rear, which tends to provoke more understeer and also enhances the possibilities for overtaking.

Teams were given six sets of new development tyres to assess – with two sets per prototype – together with two sets of the current P Zero Yellow soft tyre as a base. They were also allowed to use however many tyres remained of their 2011 testing allocation, which comprises 100 sets for the year.

Unlike the grand prix, which was held in the evening, the Abu Dhabi tests took place during the daytime, with ambient temperatures peaking at nearly 33 degrees centigrade with track temperatures of nearly 50 degrees. This put all the tyres through a tough work out, testing their thermal resistance and durability.

Pirelli’s motorsport director Paul Hembery said: “Even though the young drivers did not have the same experience as the regular drivers, we were able to collect plenty of useful information and feedback. The results of the test were very much in line with our expectations, so we’re pleased with the work that has been carried out, in very demanding track conditions. This gives us a useful base to work from as we continue to refine our 2012 range of tyres, which should bring even more performance and spectacle to Formula One next year.”
***

Pirelli has successfully tested some of its 2012 tyres at the three-day young driver test, which took place straight after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

All the teams participated in the test, which was designed for them to assess potential young drivers for the future. At the same time, Pirelli took advantage of the test to try out some of the new P Zero tyres that will be seen next year. The new front and rear profiles were assessed, together with a new potential soft compound.

The new soft compound is designed to wear more evenly and have increased thermal resistance. This reduces the possibility of blistering and should lead to more flexibility within the pit stop strategies and even closer racing in 2012.

The new front and rear profiles are more square than they were previously, which again provides a more even wear rate. The latest tyres also generate more grip from the rear, which tends to provoke more understeer and also enhances the possibilities for overtaking.

Teams were given six sets of new development tyres to assess – with two sets per prototype – together with two sets of the current P Zero Yellow soft tyre as a base. They were also allowed to use however many tyres remained of their 2011 testing allocation, which comprises 100 sets for the year.

Unlike the grand prix, which was held in the evening, the Abu Dhabi tests took place during the daytime, with ambient temperatures peaking at nearly 33 degrees centigrade with track temperatures of nearly 50 degrees. This put all the tyres through a tough work out, testing their thermal resistance and durability.

Pirelli’s motorsport director Paul Hembery said: “Even though the young drivers did not have the same experience as the regular drivers, we were able to collect plenty of useful information and feedback. The results of the test were very much in line with our expectations, so we’re pleased with the work that has been carried out, in very demanding track conditions. This gives us a useful base to work from as we continue to refine our 2012 range of tyres, which should bring even more performance and spectacle to Formula One next year.”

Follow us on Twitter @ Pirelli_Media or Facebook on www.facebook.com/Pirelli
Please also visit the Pirelli F1 blog at www.pirellif1blog.com.

For further information please contact:

Alexandra Schieren +33 607 03 69 03 alexandra.schieren@pirelli.com
Anthony Peacock +44 7765 896 930 anthony@mediatica.co.uk
**
Francescopaolo Tarallo +39 334 684 4307 francescopaolo.tarallo@pirelli.com
(Head of Product and Motorsport Media Relations)

PDF Version (77 KB)

Following an extensive investigation of the circumstances that led to Sebastian Vettel’s right-rear tyre suddenly deflating on the opening lap of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, a structural failure of the tyre has been ruled out as the cause by Pirelli’s engineers.

The tyre in question was a part of a set of P Zero Yellow softs that the Red Bull Racing driver had used to qualify on pole the day before.

Following the incident at the first corner, Vettel completed a lap in order to return to the pits, during which the flapping rubber caused damage to the bodywork and running gear, forcing the world champion into his first retirement of the year.

Although not much remained of the tyre afterwards, there was enough for Pirelli’s engineers to carry out a full investigation, in collaboration with Red Bull Racing. Having subjected the tyre to minute analysis, structural failure of the tyre or valve has been ruled out as a cause of the incident. Track debris or other outside circumstances cannot be excluded as a possible cause.

Pirelli’s motorsport director Paul Hembery said:
“We can confirm that a structural failure was not the cause of Sebastian Vettel’s deflation in Abu Dhabi, a conclusion that we have arrived at together with Red Bull Racing following a detailed examination and analysis of the remains of the tyre. We cannot rule out debris on the track causing damage to the tyre, which then provoked a deflation, but having looked at the track closely there is no direct evidence of this.”

***

Follow us on Twitter @ Pirelli_Media or Facebook on www.facebook.com/Pirelli
Please also visit the Pirelli F1 blog at www.pirellif1blog.com.

For further information please contact:

Alexandra Schieren +33 607 03 69 03 alexandra.schieren@pirelli.com
Anthony Peacock +44 7765 896 930 anthony@mediatica.co.uk
**
Francescopaolo Tarallo +39 334 684 4307 francescopaolo.tarallo@pirelli.com
(Head of Product and Motorsport Media Relations)

PDF Version (132 KB)