US Grand Prix visits new track for Pirelli and for teams

When teams arrive at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas for the forthcoming US Grand Prix, they will be stepping onto a newly-built track that has never been raced on before. Tyre supplier Pirelli is bringing the P Zero Silver hard and P Zero White medium tyres: a reasonably conservative compound choice for a circuit where there are still a number of unknown factors when it comes to tyre performance.

The teams will be given an extra set of the hard tyre for Friday’s two free practice sessions in order to help them learn the all-new track. Perhaps the conservative approach is also designed to insure against the kind of bad press that linked former F1 supplier Michelin and the tyre failures encountered at the US Grand Prix in 2005. On this occasion a newly resurfaced track led to a number of unknown quantities such as a greater than expected tyre wear and some failures in the pre-race practice sessions.

According to Pirelli, one sure thing is that the Texas circuit will be fast and challenging, with warm ambient temperatures adding to the mechanical demands placed on the tyres. The 5.515-kilometre track features varying elevations that alternate slower and more technical sections with other areas that are very quick. Initial information suggests that the track surface will be quite smooth.

With no data from previous years to fall back on, Pirelli reports that it has used simulation technology to predict how the tyres might behave on the Austin circuit. The teams will also use similar data when it comes to formulating some initial ideas about race strategy; however the information gained from free practice will be even more vital than usual. Teams will be aiming to collect as much tyre data as possible on both full and empty fuel tanks and the extra set of hard tyres should enable them to maximise their running.

Pirelli’s motorsport director Paul Hembery said: “Austin is one of just three new tracks for us in Formula One competition this year, alongside Bahrain – which we’ve tested at previously – and Hockenheim, where we previously raced in GP3. So in many ways America will be the biggest challenge for us of the year, but stepping into the unknown is a situation that we are used to: last season the majority of tracks were completely new to us. We’ve chosen the hard and the medium compounds as we think it will be quite a demanding track, based on the asphalt samples and simulation data we have gathered. Naturally we’ve leaned towards a slightly more conservative choice in order to cover every possibility at a brand new circuit, but the tyre choice in Abu Dhabi was also conservative and yet we saw one of the most exciting races of the year. We’re all absolutely delighted to be returning to America with Formula One: it’s a crucial market for us as well as being the home of many of the most enthusiastic fans out there. We’ve felt a huge buzz about this race, and with the championship so finely poised it couldn’t come at a better time.”

As Austin is a brand new circuit, the surface is likely to be ‘green’ and slippery, with a high degree of track evolution over the weekend. A totally new track often has a thin film of greasy oil on the surface, which is released by the asphalt as it settles into place. 

Pirelli and the US market

Company representatives describe America is a key market for Pirelli, where the full range of P Zero tyres is sold. In addition the company markets a unique P4, P6 and Cinturato P7 ‘Four Seasons’ range for year-round motoring. Pirelli reports that it also sells its complete line-up of premium winter tyres in the US including: Winter Sottozero, Winter Carving and Winter Snowcontrol. 

Pirelli’s American headquarters is located in Rome, Georgia – which also houses a R&D facility along with a factory that uses the patented MIRS (Modular Integrated Robotised System) process. However, 90 per cent of Pirelli tyres sold in the United States are actually made in Latin America. 

The Georgia plant produces approximately 400,000 tyres per year. By 2015, Pirelli’s total production in the American continent is expected to rise to 3.9 million tyres. The tyre market in America is growing by an average 2.1 per cent per year. 

In parallel with F1 proper, Pirelli’s P Zero fashion range has launched the ‘paddock’ sneaker, inspired by Formula One. This latest product features a grippy sole with a grey and blue suede exterior, reminiscent of a racing shoe. Finishing it all off is the famous ‘long P’ Pirelli logo, in the style of an overall patch.