Michael Schumacher has been one of the more vocal critics of Pirelli’s Formula One tyres this season, having described them in early May as akin to “driving on raw eggs.” During yesterday’s FOTA (Formula One Teams' Association) fans’ forum in Germany, Schumacher seized an opportunity to take another swipe at the Italian tyre maker.
Since its inception in 2005, the main goal of the GP2 Series has been to prepare young drivers for what is arguably the pinnacle of motorsport – Formula 1. And Pirelli says tyre management has always played a key role in helping GP2 drivers to step into F1 easily and be competitive quickly.
Dominic Sandivasci has been appointed Pirelli UK chairman, succeeding Lord Marshall in the position. Sandivasci has been the managing director of Pirelli UK since 1998 and will continue to hold his responsibilities in that position. He will also continue to be based in Burton upon Trent. Sandivasci said: “I’m extremely proud to be offered the ultimate accolade of becoming chairman of the Board and hope that I can continue to provide the guidance, assurance and governance to the business that was so well managed and instilled by Lord Marshall.”
Pirelli will bring its P Zero Yellow and Silver Formula One tyres to Silverstone for the British Grand Prix, the tyre supplier has announced. As is now customary, the Italian manufacturer announced its compound allocations for the three races following the coming weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix. In Montreal’s Canadian Grand Prix, Pirelli will bring its P Zero Yellow soft and P Zero Red supersoft tyres, while at the Grand Prix of Europe in Valencia, the teams will have the P Zero White medium and P Zero Yellow soft at their disposal.
Pirelli has responded to Formula One fans’ criticism of the perceived poor performance, and specifically the rapid wear of the Italian manufacturer’s F1 tyres. In a video interview, Pirelli motorsport director Paul Hembery shared that a short-lived tyre was part of the ‘brief’ the tyre maker received from Formula One empresario Bernie Ecclestone.
Techking has announced an “upgrade” to one of its on- and off-road patterns; its ETFN 12.00R24 truck tyres have been developed into the new ETFN U, thanks to feedback from one of the company’s Middle East partners, Techking says. Features upgraded on ETFN U include: a 15 per cent thicker bead section; a 30 per cent increase in bead wire; a super-stiff design; and the company’s “MEDI” formula tread compound, which mixes cut and heat resistance.
Pirelli’s Formula 1 tyres faced criticism following yesterday’s Bahrain Grand Prix. BBC Sport reports that seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher, who finished the race in tenth place, complained over the tyre’s too quick rate of degradation. "I had to drive at a pace to manage the tyres to finish with tyres left over," he said. "We should question whether that should be the case. It's unsatisfying and not what a Formula 1 event should be."
Pirelli will enter its second season of Formula One as exclusive tyre supplier this weekend at the Australian Grand Prix; previewing the race, the tyre manufacturer has outlined another of the ways its tyres have changed since last season, responding to new aerodynamic and technical regulations, which have had a profound impact on car design. The banishment of blown diffusers – with the exhaust outlets now having to exit the car higher, pushing the centre of pressure forwards – have resulted in reduced grip at the rear, meaning that Pirelli has had to rise to the challenge of increasing the grip given by its rear tyres.
The Royal Automobile Club will host its first Charity Cup Golf Competition to raise money for BEN at Woodcote Park on Tuesday 24 April. The Club will donate all funds raised from the event to BEN, the UK's only charity for those who work in the automotive and related industries, as well as their dependents; and the Henry Surtees Foundation.
The sole UK distributor of Fondmetal wheels has announced details of the latest design from the Italian manufacturer: the 7900. Performance Wheels says the five-spoke rim contains construction and material technology developed by Fondmetal in its extensive original equipment manufacturer and motorsport portfolio, which extends to Formula One.
Italian brake manufacturer Tarox has launched its carbon ceramic ultra-high performance braking range. The new discs draw on the company’s motorsport experience, which extends to Formula One. The company says the new parts are marketed as aftermarket replacements for vehicles factory fitted with carbon ceramic discs and as specialist motorsport fitments alongside Tarox callipers. The range launched with 23 fitments, covering outside diameters from 283mm to 420mm and featuring a wide range of thicknesses from 26mm to 40mm. The range starts at £2210+VAT per disc.
Pirelli has announced the first three P Zero slick compound allocations to be taken to the opening Grands Prix of the 2012 Formula One World Championship season. In Australia and China teams will receive the P Zero White medium and the P Zero Yellow soft compounds. The P Zero Silver hard and the P Zero White medium tyre have been nominated for Malaysia.
Pirelli ends its first season in Formula One for 20 years at Interlagos this weekend, with 71 anticlockwise laps, an uphill start-finish straight that increases the risk of the anti-stall mechanism kicking in at the start and varying elevation in Brazil. Here are some of the key points of the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace from a tyre point of view, as seen by Pirelli.
For the 29th consecutive year, Yokohama Rubber will serve as sole tyre supplier for the Macau Grand Prix. This Formula 3 event, being held for the 58th time, gets underway tomorrow and runs until November 20. Yokohama will also again be the exclusive tyre supplier in the culminating event of 2011 FIA World Touring Car Championship, a race taking place in Macau in conjunction with the Macau Grand Prix. The weekend’s racing events will also include a touring car race for local drivers and a motorcycle race.
Zircotec’s ceramic exhaust coating has helped a British Touring Car Championship team reduce its car’s underbonnet temperatures. Team Dynojet’s Toyota Avensis has seen an improvement in performance and reliability since using Zircotec’s ThermoHold coating, delivering a string of podium finishes. Race engine developers X CTech R selected the ThermoHold-based thermal barrier to deliver close to a 37 per cent drop in under-bonnet temperatures. This protects the gearbox from the effects of heat, allowing the team to focus on other areas of performance, resulting in three podiums in the last two meetings.
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