Pirelli nominates final 2012 F1 compound allocations

Pirelli has announced the tyre nominations for the final three Grands Prix of the 2012 Formula One season. All three races – in Abu Dhabi, USA and Brazil – will feature the P Zero White medium compound tyre; the visit to the UAE will also feature the soft P Zero Yellow, while at F1’s first visit to Austin, Texas and the season-ending meeting at Interlagos Pirelli will include its P Zero Silver hard compound.

The Abu Dhabi race is run in the late afternoon and evening, which will see temperatures falling. A wide variety of speeds and corners combine with a quite smooth surface, meaning that degradation is not excessive, so the middle two compounds in Pirelli’s range are most suitable, according to the supplier.

Austin represents a challenge to Pirelli, since it is new to the calendar. The company says that simulation data established by Pirelli’s engineers over the summer indicates that hard and medium tyres will be best-suited to the track’s varying demands. While a recent visit suggested that significant energy loads will be put through the tyres and high operating temperatures are expected, the relatively conservative compound choice is designed to cover all possibilities.

The Interlagos circuit is well known for being demanding on the tyres, with big elevation changes, high-speed corners and significant energy loadings going through the structure. For these reasons, Pirelli has chosen the hard and medium tyres.

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