Paul Hembery Archives - Page 10 of 18 - Tyrepress

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Hamilton fastest as rain follows Formula One to Hungary

Formula One’s stay in Hungary’s Hungaroring this weekend for the country’s Grand Prix has started as per previous weekends in the UK and Germany; with rain affecting free practice sessions. With the P Zero White medium tyre and P Zero Yellow soft tyres the nominated tyres, Pirelli saw the intermediate Cinturato Green tyres used more than had been hoped, though ambient temperatures of 29°C and 45°C track temperatures, the drivers used what dry running time they had on Friday to assess the performance and degradation levels on both tyres, using a variety of fuel loads. Pirelli says this information is more crucial than usual in Hungary, as it is very difficult to overtake on the tight and narrow track. There was also significant surface evolution on the underused circuit over the course of the day as more rubber was laid down.

27th July 2012/by Tyrepress Editors

Alonso achieving Pirelli tyre consistency in third win

Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso controlled the race from pole to win at Hockenheim’s German Grand Prix, securing a third victory this year, and beginning to suggest that he is the man most ready to tame the unpredictability of Formula One. Since the season began, seven different drivers have finished first; with half of the 20 scheduled Grands Prix completed, Alonso leads the only other multiple race winner, Red Bull’s Mark Webber, by 34 points – more than a race victory. Webber, victorious two weeks previously at the British Grand Prix, “just found himself slightly out of that sweet spot with these tyres” according to Red Bull boss Christian Horner. The team principal also suggested that the reduced time for dry running in practice had impeded Webber’s Hockenheim preparations. The Australian was 47 seconds off Alonso’s pace, finishing eighth.

23rd July 2012/by Tyrepress Editors

New Pirelli F1 hard tyre debuts at Hockenheim

The introduction of Pirelli’s new P Zero Silver hard compound tyre, postponed last week after sodden practice sessions at Silverstone put paid to its planned debut, was finally completed today in between showers at Hockenheim’s German Grand Prix practice. Dry running in the morning allowed Formula One’s teams to gather very limited information about the experimental hard compound tyre, which was tested in free practice along with the usual allocation of 11 slick tyres for the weekend. A total of 34 sets of the new compound were used, including a longest run of 12 laps on Jean-Éric Vergne’s Toro Rosso.

20th July 2012/by Tyrepress Editors

FIA boss allegedly a F1 ’Michelin man’

Pirelli’s current Formula One tyre supply agreement expires at the end of 2013, and while the Italian manufacturer would gladly sign up for a further three years a new supplier is not out of the question. And there is at least one senior individual within the sport who would gladly see former supplier Michelin make a comeback.

19th July 2012/by Tyrepress Editors

Pirelli hints at new hard tyre performance, testing at Hockenheim

While Pirelli will bring its P Zero White medium compound and P Zero Yellow soft compounds to the German Grand Prix at Hockenheim on 20-22 July, much of the Formula One teams’ focus on the first practice day will be on the new specification P Zero Silver hard tyre that will make its debut following a washed-out session at Silverstone. Teams will have two sets of the new tyre on top of their usual allocation of 11 sets of the race’s nominated tyres. Pirelli’s test driver Lucas di Grassi anticipates that the tyre will offers “even better traction, particularly if temperatures are at the lower end of the scale.” The company’s motorsport director Paul Hembery said the tyre has been evolved from the current hard tyre to provide a “slightly wider” range of operating temperatures.

17th July 2012/by Tyrepress Editors

Webber prevails in Silverstone tactical challenge

The British Grand Prix took place in dry weather against all the odds, though drenched practice and qualifying sessions – not to mention waterlogged car parks – made choosing a definitive tyre strategy impossible, since little information was available to teams about how their cars would use the available rubber. Red Bull’s tactics prevailed, with Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel both achieving podium finishes, sandwiching Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso, who held onto his lead of the Drivers Championship with a second place earned only after an intense battle for supremacy with Webber. Webber is the second driver, after Alonso, to reach two Grand Prix victories this season.

9th July 2012/by Tyrepress Editors

F1 tyre decision could have backfired, says Pirelli’s Hembery

Pirelli’s supply to Formula One this year has not been without the occasional controversy – Michael Schumacher’s “raw eggs” comment being just one example – but there is no arguing that it’s raised the profile of tyres within the sport. Evidence of their prominent role was seen today by those thumbing through The Sun, who would have read the headline that the “real F1 heroes are…tyre boffins.”

6th July 2012/by Tyrepress Editors

Pirelli: No complaints on F1 tyre consistency

Pirelli Motorsport director Paul Hembery has told Spanish newspaper El Confidencial that rumours suggesting the company is supplying tyres of inconsistent quality to Formula One teams have not led to any official complaints being made. Hembery was responding to a suggestion that there are “serious differences” between tyres of the same compound made by Red Bull’s Dr Helmut Marko. Grands Prix have been surprisingly open to competition in the 2012 season, with seven different winners in eight races, and while Hembery takes credit for the tyres adding to the excitement of the racing, it is also clear that some of the top teams’ feathers have been ruffled by the more competitive championship.

4th July 2012/by Tyrepress Editors

Pirelli brings new hard compound to Silverstone

Formula One moves on from street circuit season to return to Silverstone for the British Grand Prix on 6-8 July. During Friday’s free practice, the teams will be able to test a new development hard P Zero compound, the first new compound to be tried during a race weekend in 2012. Teams will have two sets of the experimental hard tyre in addition to their usual allocation, before reverting to the standard P Zero Silver hard compound and P Zero Yellow soft compound for the rest of the race weekend. The Cinturato Green intermediate and Cinturato Blue wet will almost certainly be used at some point during the weekend as Britain’s wet summer continues – indeed Pirelli has never experienced a completely dry race at Silverstone. The tyre supplier says the meeting can be considered a second home race, since its motorsport hub – a centre of excellence – is located in Didcot, Oxfordshire around an hour away.

2nd July 2012/by Tyrepress Editors

Pirelli hails Valencia racing as Alonso becomes first 2012 repeat winner

Using a two-stop strategy to prevail from a low-key qualifying performance, Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso became the first driver to win two races in the 2012 season in Valencia at the European Grand Prix. Alonso took the lead in the championship thanks to an emotional home victory having qualified 11th on the grid. Pirelli’s motorsport director Paul Hembery commented, “Fernando did an incredible job to win from 11th place.” Sailing serenely ahead of the jostling pack in the first half of the race, Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel looked likely to make good on his greater speed, and led by 20 seconds after qualifying on pole. However a safety car period and a pit stop to change to medium compound tyres later and the German was forced to retire with a technical problem. Alonso completed two short stints on the P Zero Yellow soft tyre and a longer stint of 29 laps on the P Zero White medium.

25th June 2012/by Tyrepress Editors

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.

20th June 2012/by Tyrepress Editors

Hamilton F1’s seventh 2012 winner, as ex-Pirelli man takes 2nd

McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton became the seventh winner from seven Grands Prix this year, overtaking Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso during the last eight laps to claim a spectacular victory by 2.5 seconds. Former Pirelli test driver, Romain Grosjean drove his Lotus to a career-best second place, having made a one-stop strategy work to his advantage. Vettel pitted with seven laps to go, and Alonso dropped back, having used the same strategy as Grosjean, pitting only two laps earlier.

11th June 2012/by Tyrepress Editors

Webber overcomes lack of supersoft practice to triumph at Monaco

Red Bull driver Mark Webber became the 2012 Formula One season’s sixth different winner in six races, triumphing with a one-stop strategy in Monaco. With Monaco being the hardest circuit of the year to overtake on, the emphasis was on tyre strategy to help move drivers forward during the race. Every points scorer took only one pit stop, with the majority starting on Pirelli’s P Zero Red supersoft tyre – only Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel and Force India’s Paul di Resta from the final top ten did not.

28th May 2012/by Tyrepress Editors

Pirelli supersoft P Zero Red makes F1 debut

Pirelli has used its P Zero Red supersoft Formula One tyre for the first time in 2012 today. The tyre was specifically designed for tight and twisty street circuits such as Monaco, making the most iconic Grand Prix on the calendar the perfect venue for its introduction. Jenson Button set the fastest time of the day during the second practice session with a time of 1:15:746 on the supersoft tyre.

24th May 2012/by Tyrepress Editors

F1 tyre wear Ecclestone’s wish, says Pirelli

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.

2nd May 2012/by Tyrepress Editors