Pirelli previews “tactical” European Grand Prix
The streets of the beautiful Spanish port town of Valencia will host the Grand Prix of Europe on 22-24 June 2012. The third consecutive street circuit contains the highest number of corners of any track all year (25) and is likely to be run in high temperatures – Pirelli will supply its P Zero White medium tyres and P Zero Yellow soft tyres for the occasion. Overtaking is notoriously difficult at Valencia, just like Monaco, so qualifying will be crucial, and Pirelli says the speed of the soft tyre will be vital at this stage. During the race, teams will utilise the additional strength and consistency of the medium tyre to form an essential part of their strategies.
Pirelli’s motorsport director, Paul Hembery, says: “Valencia could not present a bigger contrast to the street circuits that have come before it: the track is faster and the temperatures higher, with plenty of energy going through the tyres. What it has in common with the others is the difficulty of overtaking, which will put the emphasis on qualifying. So we are expecting a fairly straightforward race, with either two or three stops depending on which tactics the teams use – although one team tried a one-stopper last year as well.
“The weather should be consistently warm throughout the weekend, which should lead to fewer variables in terms of temperature, so there probably won’t be many big surprises to emerge. We’ve used the combination of soft and medium tyres more than any other line-up so far this year, as it has shown itself to be a perfect compromise between performance and durability, allowing drivers to show their speed when they need to but also benefit from longer stints in the race.”
Many of the corners are fast and flow into each other, making overtaking difficult as there is little room for manoeuvre and not a huge speed differential between the cars. The final sequence of corners is taken in rapid succession at 290kph, followed by a heavy braking area into the last corner where the cars go from 310 to 60kph in less than 130 metres. The deceleration peaks at 5.2g, with a big risk of locking up a wheel, but the layout of the corner means that it is still not easy to pass the car in front.
This will put the emphasis on strategy, as cars try to get past each other in the pits as well as on the track. Last year, the frontrunners all adopted the same strategy: starting on the soft tyre and stopping three times before completing a final stint on the medium tyre. With the cars more closely matched than ever, the right tactics will be even more important this time. Like all street circuits, the track evolution over the course of the weekend will be notable as more and more rubber is laid down.
Pastor Maldonado, of the Williams F1 Team suggests that track evolution on the streets “can throw up some surprises”, while the “long straights and a number of slow speed corners” make finding “a good balance” for the car’s setup tricky. Regarding the Pirelli rubber, Maldonado says: “The air and track temperatures tend to be high and it is a long race, so it is a challenging circuit for tyres, with good tyre management important if you want to get a strong result. It is also useful to conserve your tyres ahead of the race because if you have an extra set you will have an advantage.”
Pirelli’s test driver, Jaime Alguersuari, says he likes the Valencia circuit a lot, especially since it is “another home race” for the Spanish driver: “It’s a very challenging track because of all the variety of corners and the fact that it’s so difficult to overtake, with no room at all to make a mistake. It’s what I would call a ‘stop and start’ track, because this is where you make all the time, but obviously all the traction and braking is hard work for the tyres: in that respect it is a little bit like Canada. Combined traction is the most important element to a quick lap, together with a good top speed. It’s a track that we tend to run with low downforce, and this is another factor that influences the tyre wear as well.”
Technical challenges of Valencia
Pirelli also notes that particular challenges for the tyres at Valencia will include the hard braking, with several big stops from more than 300kph. This is a challenging task for the front tyres in particular, which have to slow the car down and turn in at the same time – subjecting themselves to two different forces. Traction rather than braking constitutes the biggest longitudinal force in Valencia though.
Pirelli suggests that for better setup, cars should look to have precision in turning into corners. A stiffer suspension setup would be ideal for this, but at the same time the suspension has to be soft enough to ensure a good level of mechanical grip in the slow corners as well.
The surface in Valencia is not especially abrasive, and will be very slippery at the start of the weekend. The constant traction demands also mean that the rear tyres are worked hard and teams will need to keep an eye on the wear in this area.
Pirelli tested in Valencia twice during the build-up to its first season in Formula One, but only at the permanent circuit on the outskirts of the city rather than on the 5.419-kilometre street circuit inaugurated in 2008. One of the company’s largest logistics hubs in Europe is located in Manresa, Spain, having been inaugurated in 2010. It includes a new warehouse of 2,800sqm, as well as 19 loading bays that distribute car, truck and bike tyres all over Spain and Portugal.
As the Formula One teams prepared to travel to the Valencia street circuit, Pirelli’s GP3 drivers took part in a group test at the permanent Ricardo Tormo circuit. In hot conditions, Carlin’s William Buller went quickest of all on the second day of the two-day test, thanks to a time of 1m26.389s.
Cinturato P7 Blue’s motorsport heritage
Pirelli’s recent launch of its new Cinturato P7 Blue tyre at Reifen 2012 – notable mainly for its status as the first tyre available on the European market to have a size – 235/45 R17 – achieving A-ratings in both wet grip and rolling resistance. The road tyre is designed to offer cars with medium-sized engines increased mileage, reduced wet braking distances and lower rolling resistance according to the company. Its name derives from the current Cinturato Blue full wet tyre used in Formula One.
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