The 39th issue of ‘The Cal™’ is the work of Mario Sorrenti, the first Italian photographer in the history of a calendar that has become a cult. Neapolitan by birth and New Yorker by adoption, Sorrenti chose the island of Corsica and its rugged landscape to create his ‘swoon’: ecstasy captured by images.

“The intense relationship between a photographer and his Muse is the very essence of the creation of a strong aesthetic dialogue which leads to the sublimation of natural beauty. In making “The Cal™”, I approached the subjects of my pictures by building a straightforward, intimate and real relationship which made it possible for me to instill the images with purity. In “swoon”, I put the bodies in direct contact with Nature, which harbors them as if they were its extension, in a set of images where rocks, land, tree trunks, sky and sea are all turned into a backdrop for the bodies”, says Mario Sorrenti, an artist whose fame was built on his extraordinary skill with nudes.

The 25 pictures of the 2012 “Calendario Pirelli” eighteen black and white and seven colour – are presented in a refined, canvas-lined portfolio, a format that has never been used before.

The 2012 Calendar features 12 protagonists, nine models and three actresses. The models include the Brazilian Isabeli Fontana (2003 Cal by Bruce Weber, 2005 by Patrick Demarchelier, 2009 by Peter Beard and 2011 by Karl Lagerfeld), the Russian Natasha Poly (2011 Pirelli Cal by Karl Lagerfeld), the Dutch Saskia de Brauw and Lara Stone (2009 Cal by Peter Beard and 2011 by Karl Lagerfeld), the Americans Joan Small and Guinevere Van Seenus (2006 Cal by Mert and Marcus), the Polish Malgosia (2009 Cal by Peter Beard), the Lithuanian Edita Vilkeviciute, the British Kate Moss (1994 Calby Herb Ritts and 2006 by Mert and Marcus). The actresses are the Ukrainian Milla Jovovich (1998 Cal by Bruce Weber), the Italian Margareth Madè and the Japanese Rinko Kikuchi.

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Tyres

·     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): 1120 (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

PIRELLI FINISHES SUCCESSFUL FIRST YEAR AT BRAZILIAN GRAND PRIX

Interlagos, November 27, 2011 – The new Pirelli P Zero Yellow soft compound seen in competition for the first time today will be combined with a new profile for 2012 to form the basis of next year’s medium tyres, now that the current season is over. All of the slick tyres apart from the supersoft compound will be brand new next year, making their debut at the first official test of 2012 next February in Spain.

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.”

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THE BRAZILIAN GRAND PRIX FROM A TYRE POINT OF VIEW

Interlagos, November 24, 2011 – 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:

Pirelli has entered Formula One to enhance recognition of the brand and sell more road tyres. 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.

TYRE FAILURE RULED OUT AS CAUSE OF VETTEL DEFLATION

Milan, November 16, 2011 – 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.”

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HAMILTON TAKES THIRD WIN OF SEASON

Abu Dhabi, November 13, 2011 – Lewis Hamilton has taken his third win of the season in Abu Dhabi using Pirelli’s P Zero tyres, running a two-stop strategy with two stints on the P Zero Yellow soft tyre followed by a single stint on the P Zero White medium. Hamilton claimed the 17th win of his career, having previously won in China and Germany this year.

A similar strategy was adopted by all of the top three finishers, while Red Bull Racing’s Mark Webber tried a three-stop strategy, only switching to the harder tyre with one lap to go. Force India driver Paul di Resta was the only finisher to go for a one-stop strategy, changing from medium to soft tyres on lap 27 and then running 28 laps on the P Zero Yellow to the finish. The majority of competitors used a two-stop strategy over the 55 laps. 

Hamilton took the lead on the first lap after newly-crowned world champion Sebastian Vettel retired with damage to the rear of his car after his tyre deflated on the opening lap. The cause of the sudden deflation is still being investigated by Pirelli’s engineers. This brings to an end Red Bull Racing’s run of 19 consecutive podium finishes, and it is also the first time in 19 races that Vettel has retired.

As usual, the Abu Dhabi race started at dusk and finished at night, with track temperatures stabilising at around 28 degrees centigrade towards the end of the race. This helped to extend the tyre life, with the soft tyres lasting around 25 laps and the medium compound for about 30 laps. The race was characterised by a fierce battle between Hamilton and Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso, who moved from fifth to second on the opening lap. At the last round of pit stops, Alonso stayed out for two laps longer than Hamilton – which brought him close enough to try and pass. The Spaniard finished second, scoring his 10th podium of 2011 and his first in Abu Dhabi: the only current race where he has not been in the top three.

Despite starting at the back of the grid following mechanical problems during qualifying, Rubens Barrichello managed to climb up the field and finish 12th thanks to a two-stop strategy, starting on medium tyres followed by two stints on softs. Kamui Kobayashi also scored points for Sauber for the first time in seven races with a similar strategy.

Pirelli’s Motorsport Director Paul Hembery commented: “Together with Red Bull Racing, we’re still examining the remains of Sebastian Vettel’s tyre in order to try and piece together what happened. It certainly seems to be a very unusual incident and we’ve already been to look at the place with Sebastian: there seems to be no reason that is immediately obvious and the set of tyres was one that he had already used for qualifying. But until we know for sure, there’s no point in speculating. With the dropping temperatures, our soft and medium tyres were faced with slightly different track conditions to normal, with different teams trying a very wide variety of strategies, from one to three stops. I’ve been told that last year there were just 11 overtaking manoeuvres here, so this year certainly presented quite a contrast. Normally at this point we would be packing up to go home, but now we look forward to the young driver test later this week, where we will try out some of our 2012 range of tyres for the first time.”

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BACK TO WHERE IT ALL BEGAN FOR PIRELLI AND THE P ZERO COMPOUNDS

Milan, November 7th, 2011 – The Yas Marina circuit in Abu Dhabi is a significant venue for Pirelli as it is where the teams got to try out the P Zero compounds for the very first time, at a test following last year’s grand prix.

That two-day test, along with other sessions carried out by Pirelli in Abu Dhabi, means that the 5.554-kilometre track is the place where Pirelli has the most Formula One experience – having tested a wide range of the P Zero tyres there in the past. For the penultimate grand prix of the season, Pirelli will bring the P Zero White medium tyre and P Zero Yellow soft tyre to Abu Dhabi, which should be well suited to the 21 corners and two straights that make up the lap.

The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix has the peculiarity of a late start at dusk with the finish at night, meaning that track temperatures tend to fall and then stabilise. This usually extends the tyre life. There is some degree of track evolution over the course of the weekend, as the sand that sweeps in from the surrounding desert gets cleaned off the surface. Overnight the sand will often settle again, meaning that the track can start off dirty on each day.

The long straight puts plenty of energy through the inside shoulder of the tyre, with the sweeping sequence of Turns 2, 3 and 4 at the start of the lap also providing the rubber with a good work-out. As usual, the teams will have 11 sets of slick tyres at their disposal for the race weekend (six sets of medium tyres and five sets of soft tyres) as well as four sets of intermediate tyres and three sets of wet tyres. On top of the usual allocation, the teams will be given two extra sets of an experimental soft compound tyre for use during free practice on Friday.

Following the grand prix, there will be a three-day young driver test from 15-17 November. The teams will have all four slick compounds available to them, and they will be able to choose their tyres from a total allocation of 100 sets of tyres per team allowed for testing during the year. Pirelli will also try out a limited number of prototype tyres during the test in preparation for the 2012 season.

Pirelli’s Motorsport Director Paul Hembery: “At this point in the season, our emphasis is obviously on refining our tyre choices for next year, which is why we are seeing some new tyres during free practice here and the young driver test. With very limited opportunities for testing during the season, this is important for us to collect information as we develop our strategy for 2012, which will feature tyres that are a bit different from this year’s range. We’re very familiar with the Yas Marina circuit as a testing venue so we’re confident that the tyre choice we have made for the race should suit the characteristics of the track. Abu Dhabi is an absolutely fantastic facility with some good overtaking opportunities, so we’re very pleased to be celebrating our first anniversary there.”

Pedro de la Rosa (McLaren Mercedes): “I’ve got some fantastic memories of Abu Dhabi from the time I spent testing there with Pirelli before the season started. I learned a lot and, given how the season has progressed, the work was very positive. One of the main reasons for the success of this F1 season is down to Pirelli and the tyre design. More pit stops than last year and more tyre degradation have made the racing more exciting. Abu Dhabi is a smooth track that is not too hard on the tyres – especially the rears – with limited degradation. This means that it can take time to warm up the harder compound and I see the soft tyre working well. I can see this being the preferred tyre for the race, but the latest cars have a lot more downforce than the car we used for testing and that could change the situation.

One thing I have learned this year is that you have to be open-minded and react very quickly during a race to how the tyres develop. We saw that in Korea. Everyone thought that the supersoft and the soft would be too aggressive a choice but in the end it was a fantastic choice: we only had two pit stops. I think everybody is going to enjoy racing at Abu Dhabi again: it’s a nice track with two good overtaking opportunities. You have some high-speed corners and also some heavy braking for the chicanes, plus a slower and technically demanding final sector. What’s good as well is that Abu Dhabi is a very safe track with lots of good-quality asphalt run-off. This means that it’s possible to experiment without taking a big risk.”

Technical notes

 * Abu Dhabi, like many circuits, requires a medium-downforce compromise set-up in order to guarantee good straight-line speed down the long main straight, which is more than one kilometre, but also enough downforce to provide enough braking stability and aerodynamic grip through the corners.

 * There are comparatively few high-speed changes of direction, so in order to help traction – one of the key demands that the tyres face on the Yas Marina circuit – the engineers tend to set up their cars with a comparatively soft rear end. At the start of the weekend the dust on the track surface can cause graining, although the P Zero tyres have so far proved to be quite resistant to this phenomenon.

 * Abu Dhabi is located at sea level, ensuring a high ambient air pressure. This benefits engine power, which increases further as temperatures fall towards the end of the race.

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TOP 2 GP3 GRADUATES IN ABU DHABI GP2 TO RECEVIE CASH PRIZES

Milan, 4 November 2011 - Pirelli, the sole tyre supplier to the GP2 and GP3 Series, will bring its P Zero GP2 medium tyres to the 2011 GP2 Final in Abu Dhabi, a stand-alone event held at the Yas Marina Circuit during the same weekend as the Formula One Grand Prix (11-13 November). On this occasion, the Italian tyre manufacturer will reward the two top GP3 graduates competing against the GP2 regulars with a cash prize.

The 2011 GP2 Final will take place on Yas Marina’s 4.730-kilometre track, which features a challenging combination of 21 corners, several long straights and tight chicanes. The layout puts the onus on race strategy due to the limited overtaking opportunities available and tyre use plays a key role in this.

All 13 GP2 Series teams will take part in this unique event, with a full grid of 26 drivers lining up. Currently there are five graduates from the Pirelli-backed 2011 GP3 Series: James Calado (Lotus ART), Tom Dillmann (iSport International), Antonio Felix da Costa (Ocean Racing Technology), Rio Haryanto (Dams), Nigel Melker (Dams). Other GP3 graduates may be confirmed during the coming days.

Pirelli will reward the two highest-placed GP3 drivers who finish in the points in the feature race and/or sprint race. The GP3 driver scoring the most points will receive 15,000 Euros with the second highest scoring GP3 driver receiving 10,000 Euros.

The P Zero GP2 medium slick Pirelli will bring to Abu Dhabi was also supplied for the GP2 Asia pre-season tests and races held back in February. Being a highly versatile product, Pirelli’s P Zero medium compound rubber was also used successfully during the 2011 GP2 rounds in Istanbul, Silverstone and Spa-Francorchamps.

Pirelli’s Racing Manager Mario Isola commented: “We are bringing our P Zero GP2 medium slicks to Abu Dhabi as they are very well suited to the challenging layout of the Yas Marina track. Our medium slicks have already been used on this circuit during the 2011 GP2 Asia pre-season tests and races in February when they provided sufficient durability and high levels of grip. That was also when the GP2 teams had their first taste of the new Pirelli rubber.
“At the beginning they struggled a bit to understand the behaviour of the medium compound but, after having completed a whole season running on our P Zero GP2 rubber, they now know how to handle the tricky variable durability features incorporated into the design to encourage tyre management and race strategy. It will be interesting to compare the results in February with those we will collect during the 2011 GP2 Final and see the improvements made after nine months.”

The 2011 GP2 Final follows on from two recent test sessions in Spain at Jerez (28-29 September) and Barcelona (19-20 October) where Pirelli provided an enhanced version of its P Zero GP2 hard compound tyre, which features greater performance and consistency. The new tyre successfully completed over 25.000 km of testing and is likely to be used during the 2012 GP2 season.

The Abu Dhabi event will feature a single free practice, a single qualifying session and two races: the feature race, which includes a compulsory pit stop and the sprint race. Race one will take place on Saturday November 12 at 11:00. Race two is scheduled for Sunday November 13 at 13:30. Practice and qualifying will take place on Friday November 11 at 10:10 and at 14:55 respectively. All timings are GMT +4hrs.

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VETTEL KEEPS ON TRACK WITH PIRELLI FOR ANOTHER RECORD

Delhi, October 30th, 2011 – By winning his 11th grand prix this year, Red Bull Racing’s Sebastian Vettel is still on course to equal the record for the most number of wins in one season: 13, held by Michael Schumacher from 2004. 

The brand-new Buddh circuit on the outskirts of Delhi evolved considerably over the course of the weekend, with the times getting faster as the track cleaned and more rubber was laid down on the track. The P Zero Yellow soft tyre and P Zero Silver hard tyre were nominated for the race, with the softer tyre proving to be around two seconds per lap faster than the harder compound.

This gave rise to some interesting strategies as the drivers tried to limit their running on the hard tyres. Force India’s Paul di Resta, Lotus Renault’s Vitaly Petrov, and Sauber’s Sergio Perez were the only drivers to start the race on the harder tyre, but they swiftly moved onto the soft tyre within five laps.

Vettel led from start to finish, using a two-stop strategy to win from McLaren’s Jenson Button – who made up two places from his grid position at the start of the race. The top six all used a two-stop strategy, with Lewis Hamilton the highest-placed three-stopper in seventh following a collision. 

Having dropped out of the top 10 following the clash with Hamilton, Felipe Massa was the first frontrunner to switch to the hard tyre on lap 31 but the Ferrari driver was unable to finish the race due to broken suspension. His team mate Fernando Alonso used pit stop strategy to help secure a podium finish, stopping two laps after Red Bull Racing’s Mark Webber for the hard tyres on lap 37. The pair of them were separated by less than two seconds all the way to the finish.

Vettel, who had claimed pole position on Saturday, moved over to the hard tyre for his final stop with 13 laps to go. The German also set the fastest lap of the race on the final lap with the hard P Zero Silver tyre, winning by 8.433s from Button.

Lotus Renault’s Bruno Senna carried out the longest stint on the soft tyre during the race, lasting 34 laps, while Williams driver Rubens Barrichello completed the longest stint on the hard tyre, for exactly 34 laps as well.

Conditions were dry and warm throughout the race, which started with an ambient temperature of 31 degrees celsius and a track temperature of 37 degrees, in hazy sunshine.

Pirelli’s motorsport director Paul Hembery commented: “Without knowing exactly how the circuit would be, we decided to bring the hard tyre to India, which was a deliberately conservative choice. This led to some very interesting strategies, with a few drivers running the hard compound at the very beginning of the race and others using it at the very end. The key element during the final phase of the race for the two frontrunners was understanding at which point a new set of hard tyres was quicker than a used set of softs. It was a tough race, but we saw very good durability from both compounds as well as excellent performance – with Vettel setting fastest lap of the race on the hard P Zero Silver tyre. We’ve also accumulated plenty of information which will be very useful when it comes to selecting our nominations for next year.”

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VETTEL TAKES POLE POSITION FOR FIRST INDIAN GRAND PRIX

Delhi, October 29, 2011 – Newly-crowned World Champion Sebastian Vettel has claimed another pole position with the P Zero Yellow soft tyre: his 13^th pole position of the year and the ninth that he has taken with Pirelli’s soft compound. Vettel set a time of 1m24.178s – more than three seconds faster than the time he set during the very first free practice session on Friday.

The dusty ‘green’ conditions of the all-new Buddh circuit still made the track slippery despite a full day of running yesterday, and one Formula One practice session this morning. Once again, there proved to be a notable difference of up to two seconds per lap between the P Zero Silver hard tyre and P Zero Yellow soft tyre.

This meant that the soft tyre was used by all the teams from the second qualifying session onwards, with most of the teams already switching to the softer tyres at the end of the first session. Only the Red Bull Racing duo of Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber, the Ferraris of Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa, together with the McLaren of Lewis Hamilton, were able to use only the hard tyre to get through to the second session.

In order to save their allocation of soft tyres for the race, some of the drivers – including both Force India cars, competing at home – completed just one run during the second qualifying session. At the bottom end of the top 10 in qualifying two, the competition was so tight that that the 10^th and 11^th placed drivers, Alguersuari and Petrov, recorded exactly the same time. As Alguersuari set his time first, he is placed in front of Petrov.

Four cars (Alonso, Hamilton, Massa and Webber) came out of the pits at the beginning of the third and final qualifying session, with Vettel, McLaren’s Jenson Button and Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg emerging later. Force India’s Adrian Sutil left the pits but did not set a lap time, whereas the two Toro Rosso cars of Sebastian Buemi and Alguersuari did not come out at all and will consequently start from ninth and 10^th places, just behind Sutil.

The consistency of Vettel’s pace on the P Zero Yellow tyre was also shown during the final free practice session this morning, when he set a time of 1m24.824s on his final lap, which was four-tenths of a second faster than his nearest rival. Between two and three pit stops are expected for most drivers in the race, although a one-stop strategy is not out of the question for any team wanting to try something different.

Pirelli’s motorsport director Paul Hembery commented: “The fact that dominated qualifying was the difference in speed of about two seconds per lap between our hard and our soft compounds, although we saw Vettel going quicker on the hard tyres during the first qualifying session than anyone else on the soft tyre. This performance gap between the compounds meant that the teams concentrated on the soft tyres during final qualifying. We’ve seen very good durability and performance from the soft tyre, which we’re expecting to last between 20 to 25 laps tomorrow, with the hard tyre being able to complete many more. The information that we’ve gathered so far is already going to be very useful when it comes to selecting our compounds for next year – which is one of our priorities as this season draws to a close.”

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