Pirelli renews contracts in Italian Formula 4 and GT Championships for 2016-2017

Pirelli has renewed its exclusive contract with the national Formula 4 and GT championships in Italy. Both championships will continue to use only Pirelli tyres throughout the 2016 and 2017 seasons, at a variety of circuits all over Italy. In order to keep the championship simple and cost effective, making driving talent the key factor, Pirelli will supply only two types of tyre for all races: 13” P Zero DM slicks and Cinturato WM wets.

Formula 4 is designed as a first step on the ladder of talent designed to take aspiring drivers all the way to Formula One through a series of national championships. Pirelli equips several of these championships worldwide, including series in Italy, Germany, the United Kingdom, South America, and the United States (from 2016).

One of the key focuses for Pirelli is the domestic market, with Pirelli having first equipped Formula 4 in Italy during its inaugural season, in 2014. Pirelli forms part of an all-Italian approach to Formula 4 in Italy, with Tatuus building the chassis, Abarth providing the 1.4-litre turbo engine, and Magneti Marelli supplying the electronics.

The Italian GT championship uses the same venues as the Formula 4 series, showcasing a very wide variety of cars and vehicle architectures. With Pirelli recently completing a five-year deal with the Blancpain GT Series, this latest agreement for Italy underlines the Italian tyre firm’s status as the world leader in GT racing, which is based on the road-going supercars that Pirelli supplies with ultra-high performance original equipment.

The competing cars are all very different, but they rely on the same Pirelli tyres for both durability and performance on an ample range of circuits. In Italy, the national GT championship has proved to be extremely popular, with Pirelli supplying just the P Zero DHC slick tyre and Cinturato WH wet tyre next year. The rules will be similar to those adopted by the Blancpain series, with just one compound for dry and wet, in order to decrease costs but increase competition. Up to 10 tyre sizes will be offered to cater for all the different cars, from 315/680-18 to 325/705-19.

Pirelli’s racing manager Mario Isola said: “We’re very pleased to renew these important contracts, continuing our legacy in both domestic championships and helping to put in place opportunities for drivers to graduate to the highest levels of motorsport using our tyres. In keeping with our philosophy, the accent is on close but cost effective competition, as we continue to play an increasingly prominent role on the national racing scene in Italy.”