How do you reach the “most discerning” consumers within a market and become the “undisputed leader” in premium-tier products and services for this group? For Pirelli, the answer is to offer an entire “brand experience,” and the tyre maker is now putting this concept to the test in North America with the opening of its first P Zero World retail outlet.
Pirelli said that a number of different strategies were in play at the German Grand Prix, with mostly three stops seen and many teams splitting their race strategies. Mercedes was one of these teams, with race winner Lewis Hamilton alternating the supersoft and soft tyre. Polesitter Nico Rosberg started with two sets of supersoft and then ended the race on two sets of soft.
Pirelli will supply its P Zero Red supersoft, Yellow soft and White medium compounds to Formula One’s teams at the recently resurfaced Hungaroring. The tyre manufacturer says that the circuit “could not be any more different” following the previous race at Silverstone; the tight and twisty Hungaroring has been described as being like an oversized go-kart track, while weather conditions can range from extremely hot (a common occurrence) to rain (which was the case two years ago, as well as 2011).
Testing of Pirelli’s wider 2017 Formula One tyres is scheduled to begin early next month, and although a 2017 car isn’t available for these tests, Pirelli expects they will nevertheless give a good indication of tyre performance. Speaking with Formula1.com, Pirelli motorsport director Paul Hembery shared that the tyre maker is aiming for much less tyre degradation next year, along with a wider operating window.
Any tyre strategies planned ahead of the British grand prix at Silverstone were forced to be reconsidered after a torrential rain shower forced the entire grid to start the race behind a safety car on Pirelli’s Cinturato Blue full wet tyre. Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton won for the fourth time at home using three different Pirelli tyre compounds. When the safety car came in after five laps, a number of drivers went straight onto the Cinturato Green intermediate, while the leaders took advantage of a virtual safety car to switch to the intermediate shortly afterwards.
Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton was victorious in Austria, winning the Austrian Grand Prix from pole position using a two-stop strategy. Teammate Nico Rosberg collided with Hamilton as the Briton passed him on the final lap of an action-packed grand prix, having used the timing of his pit stop tyre strategy to boost his position, “undercutting” a number of drivers including his team mate (who started from pole) to lead the race. Following contact with Hamilton, Rosberg’s car sustained front wing damage, leading to his fourth place finish. More worryingly for tyre supplier Pirelli was the blowout that ended Sebastian Vettel’s grand prix, the causes of which the manufacturer said it was investigating with the constructor, Ferrari.
Pirelli will bring its three softest P Zero F1 compounds – soft, supersoft and ultrasoft – to the Red Bull Ring, Spielberg, describing the track as “probably the closest that Formula One comes to a rally stage.” Big changes of elevation and a sequence of fast and twisty corners coalesce with unpredictable weather and the grand prix’s roots in the 1969 Osterreichring, which gives the track quite an old-school character.
Nico Rosberg piloted his Mercedes to a convincing win at the first grand prix in Azerbaijan. The championship leader started from pole and stopped just once, passing from supersoft to soft tyres, without ever losing the lead. While some cars were forced to stop twice due to the higher than expected temperatures, Pirelli said that tyre degradation was lower than expected. The top six finishers all started on the P Zero Red supersoft, stopping once to change to the P Zero Yellow soft tyre between laps 8 and 21. These soft tyre stints therefore lasted up to 43 laps, the number achieved by Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen.
The Grand Prix of Europe takes place in Baku, Azerbaijan this weekend, the first time that a Formula One round has been held at this venue. For tyre supplier Pirelli, this means reliance upon simulation and acquired information rather than real data, and this makes the task of nominating tyres more complex. Based on the information at hand, Pirelli has nominated its medium, soft and supersoft tyres.
For the seventh round of the 2016 Formula One World Championship, Pirelli will supply its new P Zero Purple ultrasoft for the second time, following its debut in Monaco. As a low-grip circuit with high track evolution, Canada’s semi-permanent Circuit Gilles Villeneuve provides a good opportunity to test out the Monaco tyre allocation (the three softest Pirelli P Zero F1 tyres) in a different context; the tyres will be used at higher speeds and with higher loads, generating higher temperatures and putting increased energy through the tyres. The circuit is also known for its high kerbs, making it a test of the tyres’ construction as well is their tread compounds.
Though the Monaco Grand Prix got underway behind a safety car in wet conditions, with all drivers starting on the Cinturato Blue full wet tyres, Lewis Hamilton won on Pirelli’s new P Zero Purple ultrasoft, marking a successful race debut for Pirelli’s newest F1 tyre. The safety car came in after seven laps, with most drivers eventually switching to intermediates. Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton was one of just two competitors to stay out on the full wets as the circuit dried, switching straight to P Zero Purple ultrasoft on lap 31.
Pirelli will take its medium, soft and supersoft compounds to the Russian Grand Prix at Sochi, marking the fourth time in as many races in 2016 to feature the Red, Yellow and White P Zero Formula One tyres. The varied, technical track has a smooth surface that typically leads to low tyre wear and degradation, but Pirelli says its nomination will deal with any evolution of the three-year old asphalt that may have occurred since 2015’s visit, or indeed across the weekend, since the circuit is not heavily used.
Pirelli and Formula One’s raft of new tyre regulations appeared to have increased the options open to drivers during the opening grand prix of 2016. Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg won the race in Melbourne, while eight of the 16 race finishers used all three available compounds following a red flag restart after 18 laps.
Formula One’s teams have driven more than 6,020km on various development versions of Pirelli’s 2016 range, including the new ultrasoft compound. Over 1084 laps, McLaren’s Stoffel Vandoorne set the best time over the 12 hour non-stop session. The session took place in expected bright sunshine and warm temperatures, starting out at around 24°C ambient (35°C asphalt) and reaching 28°C and 40°C respectively by lunchtime. The next testing session, in which Pirelli will focus on its wet tyres, will take place at Circuit Paul Ricard, France on 25-26 January.
2015’s Formula One calendar concludes at Yas Marina, Abu Dhabi; a venue with which Pirelli is very familiar. The F1 tyre supplier has used the venue for testing, including the world’s first wet-weather test run at night, and a pre-season launch. The smooth asphalt means the softest tyres in the range will be supplied, a combination previously employed at the slowest grand prix, Monaco, and at four other race weekends. The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is held from late afternoon into the evening, so track temperatures tend to drop over the course of the race, meaning that the pattern of tyre behaviour is different to normal: another complex variable for teams to factor into their strategy calculations. Pirelli expects a performance gap between the two compounds of 1.0-1.2 seconds per lap.
If you would like the latest news from the Chinese tyre industry in Chinese, visit our partner site TyrepressChina.com. Or click below to continue on Tyrepress.