F1® Tyres Range - PIRELLI UK

In accordance with the regulations laid down by the FIA (Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile) Pirelli will supply two different types of tyre designed for two different types of use.
The first type of tyre has been designed for dry surfaces, while the second is for wet surfaces.

The rim diameter is 13 inches equally for front and rear.
The tread width of front tyres.
The tread width of rear tyres.
The diameter of dry tyres.
Compared to the dry weather tyres, the wet versions have a 10mm larger diameter.

THE SLICK TYRES

Dry weather tyres, known as slicks, are characterised by a tread pattern that is devoid of blocks or channels. They come in four compounds: supersoft, soft, medium and hard. The different compounds mean that the tyres are well suited to a wide variety of circuits, according to the type of asphalt, the number and severity of the corners, and the top speed on the straights. This allows the teams to make use of an ample range of strategies. For each track, Pirelli – in accordance with the FIA - nominates the two dry compounds best suited to the tracks characteristics and the temperature to be expected.

WET WEATHER TYRES

Wet weather tyres, characterised by grooves in the tread pattern, are split into two types: full wets and intermediates. The full wet tyres can be easily recognised by the deep grooves in the tread pattern and sipes to drain off water on wet asphalt. The intermediates feature channels that are less deep and are designed for damp or slightly wet surfaces, as well as uncertain weather conditions.

Intermediate
Wet

Intermediate

Cinturato™ Green Intermediate. This tyre is best suited for light rain or damp track conditions and it disperes approximatley 20 litres of water per second at high speed. This year the Cinturato Green Intermediate has a new rear construction but the tread pattern remains the same as last year. However, modifications made to the rear tyres in particular have enhanced what was already one of Pirelli’s most successful and driveable products.

Wet

Cinturato™ Blue Wet. In 2013 this tyre also benefits from a new construction. Like the intermediate, the rear tyres have been redesigned to offer more progressive traction and reduce snap oversteer, while maintaining the ability to evacuate 60 litres of water per second at top speed: six times more than a road car tyre which disperses about 10 litres per second at much lower speed. The characteristics of this tyre are now more closely aligned to those of the intermediate.

Supersoft
Soft
Medium
Hard

Supersoft

P Zero™ Red Supersoft. Last year it was the only tyre to remain unchanged, but for 2013 it is all new with a softer compound designed to increase performance and degradation. The warm-up has been made even faster this year, thus ensuring that it will be instantly on the pace and offer optimal grip. This tyre is ideally suited for slow and twisty circuits.

Soft

P Zero™ Yellow Soft. This tyre is just over half a second per lap slower than the supersoft, but it is still softer than the equivalent compound last year. However, it has a high working range that makes it suitable for an extremely wide range of conditions, which is likely to make it one of the most frequently used compounds this year. This is the compound that has the most increased working range in 2013.

Medium

P Zero™ White Medium. This extremely versatile tyre adapts itself well to all sorts of track conditions, particularly when asphalt and circuit characteristics are variable. It is a low working range tyre, making it the ideal choice for circuits that are slightly less demanding or have lower ambient temperatures. The new medium tyre is not dissimilar to last year’s soft, making it around 0.8s per lap faster than the hard tyre.

Hard

P Zero™ Orange Hard. The new hard tyre guarantees maximum durability and the least degradation, together with optimal resistance to the most extreme conditions. The P Zero™ Orange is ideal for long runs, taking more time to warm up, as well as being suited to circuits with abrasive asphalt, big lateral forces and high temperatures. For 2013 this tyre has become a lot softer – and it is now closer to last year’s medium. It is also the tyre that is the most visually different compard to last year as it changes colour from Silver to Orange.

WHAT’S NEW FOR 2013?

While the tyre rules imposed by the sport’s governing body remain exactly the same for 2013, with no aspect of the regulations altered, Pirelli has been able to make some far-reaching evolutions to the tyres – amounting to the biggest set of changes since the company entered Formula One™.

A new colour

Visibly, the biggest difference is the brand new colour for the hard tyre, which will now be known as the P Zero™ Orange, changing from Silver. This will help viewers distinguish the hard compound more easily from the White medium compound when both are used together.

New compounds

All the compounds are generally softer, which leads to enhanced performance and a deliberately higher degree of degradation, with increased thermal degradation in particular. This should ensure a minimum of two pit stops at each race.

New structures

The new structures have been designed with a different philosophy and new materials that increase the footprint of the tyre, allowing more rubber to be in contact with the track and leading to better performance – particularly when it comes to combined traction and cornering. Secondly, it means that temperatures are more evenly distributed across the whole surface of the tyre, meaning that there is no localized heat build-up that can lead to blistering.

Wider working range

As a result of the modifications the 2013 tyres are generally easier to bring up to temperature and they have a more varied working range, making them more easily adaptable to a bigger variety of set-ups. Generally speaking, the hard and the soft tyre have a high working range, while the medium and the supersoft have a low working range. This should help the teams to understand the tyres - and how they interact with their cars – faster.

Bigger performance gaps between compounds

The different compounds will lead to an increased gap in performance between the compounds – even though they are all generally softer. The tyres have been engineered to provide a time difference of at least half a second per lap between each compound, whereas on occasions it was less than that last year. The bigger gap will make strategy all the more important, with more to gain by being on the right tyre at the right time.

More driveability in the wet

Both the Cinturato™ tyres have changed as well, with the construction of the rear tyres reengineered in particular, so that they provide more progressive traction and better warm-up in wet conditions. This helps to reduce snap oversteer and so makes the handling of the car more linear.

Increased weight

The new construction means that the weight of the tyres has increased slightly, but not enough to affect the performance of the cars. On average, each front tyre now weighs around 200 grams more than it did last year while each rear tyre is 700 grams heavier, meaning that approximately two kilograms have been added to the overall weight of a set of tyres. However, the overall minimum weight of the car has been adjusted in the 2013 technical regulations to compensate for this.

More overtaking

Increased thermal degradation means that there will be more significant difference in speeds between different cars at different points in the race. This makes overtaking easier and places the emphasis on an effective race strategy.

From world fastest racetracks to your everyday life with the same top driving performance: discover P ZERO™ range.