Pirelli-backed F4 has global appeal
Two promising overseas drivers have been announced for this year’s Pirelli-supported Duo BRDC Formula 4 Championship.
Posts
Pirelli announces first four GP F1 tyre nominations
Pirelli has announced the first set of tyre nominations for the 2015 Formula One season, as promised on Monday after the conclusion of pre-season testing. Using the P Zero White medium compound tyre at all of the first four grands prix, the exclusive F1 tyre supplier will also bring the P Zero Yellow soft tyre to Australia, China and Bahrain, and the P Zero Orange hard tyre to Malaysia’s abrasive Sepang circuit. The P Zero Red supersoft will have to wait until later in the season to be deployed – possibly at the road race GPs.
1-2 seconds faster lap times for Pirelli’s 2015 F1 tyres
Formula One has completed its pre-season testing schedule, with Pirelli’s P Zero and Cinturato tyres improving lap times by one-to-two seconds. The full range of P Zero slick compounds was tested at Barcelona, and while the Cinturato Blue full wet was unused, the Cinturato Green got some limited track time in brief rain showers. Pirelli Motorsport director Paul Hembery believes that most of the teams “are already well-prepared for the season ahead,” compared to 2014, with “significantly quicker” cars likely to become even faster in hotter track conditions when the season starts.
3-stop strategies prove fastest as Rosberg pushes Hamilton to title-decider
Once again, the Mercedes team closed out the top two steps of the podium at Interlagos, using three stops – as did almost every driver – to dominate in the penultimate race of 2014. The only surprise was that Nico Rosberg ended Lewis Hamilton’s five GP winning streak to make the Briton finish at least second to ensure championship victory in Abu Dhabi’s controversial double-points grand prix. Both Mercedes drivers started on the soft tyre to make good their front row grid advantage, before seeing out the race comfortably on the medium P Zeros. Tyre supplier, Pirelli correctly predicted this as the fastest strategy for the 71 lap race, and a high degree of tyre wear meant that all but Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen, who finished seventh, stopped three times
Pirelli provides medium, soft F1 P Zeros in Brazil
Interlagos, in the heart of Sao Paulo, is the second-shortest lap of the year after Monaco. Formula One tyre supplier Pirelli will provide medium and soft compound P Zero tyres to combat the challenges of its series of twists, turns and elevation changes. Long-range weather forecasts predict wet weather for at least part of the […]
Hamilton uses soft tyres to seal victory in Singapore
Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton used a three-stop strategy to win in Singapore. After three stints on the P Zero Red supersoft, Hamilton completed the race on the P Zero Yellow soft. Hamilton was challenged by Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel, running a two-stop strategy from fourth on the grid. Vettel did two opening stints on the supersoft and then a final stint on the soft at the end of the grand prix, when the car was at its lightest on low fuel. His team-mate Daniel Ricciardo followed the same strategy to finish third in front of the Ferrari of Fernando Alonso.
Pirelli F1 tyres at 362.1km/h top speed
Pirelli has shown the effect of the most extreme speed to be clocked during the 2014 season on its Formula One tyres. At the Italian Grand Prix in Monza, Red Bull driver Daniel Ricciardo reached 362.1km/h while slipstreaming on the main straight. At that speed, Ricciardo’s wheel was rotating around 2,800 times every minute, or just under 50 times every second.
Pirelli previews F1 return from mid-season break at Spa
Following a three-week break the 2014 Formula One season will resume at the fan-favourite Spa-Francorchamps circuit. Pirelli will supply its P Zero White medium and P Zero Yellow soft tyres, a softer choice compared to last year – the exclusive tyre supplier says this allocation is designed to promote different strategies on what is, at 7km, the longest lap of the year.
Pirelli hails F1 tyre longevity on tough Shanghai circuit
The strength of the P Zero White medium tyre following a start in which most used the soft P Zero Yellow allowed the top 15 to complete two stops only on the demanding Shanghai circuit, Pirelli said. Formula One’s exclusive tyre supplier had anticipated increased wear as a result of very long corners and high G-forces, but the 2014 tyres’ increased durability allowed Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton to use a two pit stop strategy to win, following a long second stint.
Pirelli announces Spain, Monaco, Canada tyre nominations
Pirelli has nominated the tyres that will be used in the grands prix of Spain, Monaco and Canada. The latter GPs will provide the first sighting of the exclusive Formula One tyre supplier’s softest compound, the P Zero Red supersoft slick.
Tyre strategy becoming ‘a bigger factor’ in F1 2014 – Hembery
Two grands prix into the 2014 Formula One season, Pirelli motorsport director Paul Hembery believes that tyre strategy is already becoming “a bigger factor”. Much of the pre- and early-season analysis has focused on the new powertrains and regulations introduced into F1 this season, while Pirelli has been careful to provide harder, more conservative tyres to compensate for the concentration devoted to engineering the substantially altered F1 cars. However, the occasion of the Chinese Grand Prix at Shanghai, where the P Zero White medium and P Zero Yellow soft tyres will be used, provides an early opportunity for teams to apply what they have learned so far to using the Italian manufacturer’s tyres more strategically.
Pirelli tyres withstand difficult conditions in Malaysia as drivers disagree on quality
Pirelli characterised Malaysia as one of the toughest tests of the year for tyres thanks to its high track temperatures and an abrasive surface. Yet the reduced graining and lack of blistering illustrates the indisputable increase in durability over the much maligned original 2013 tyre allocation. Even so, the decision to provide the hardest compound […]
Pirelli P Zero Orange hard F1 tyre to combat high temperatures, abrasive asphalt
Pirelli has brought its P Zero Orange hard tyre to Malaysia to make its debut at this weekend’s grand prix, and the early signs are that the extra durability could make it the favoured fitment following two free practice sessions on very abrasive asphalt at temperatures nearly hitting 50 degrees centigrade. Despite the harsh conditions, […]
Pirelli expects 2-3 pit stops in Melbourne F1 season opener
Pirelli is beginning its second three-year stint as Formula One’s exclusive tyre supplier in Melbourne, Australia this weekend, having deemed its new P Zero White medium and P Zero Yellow soft compounds the best suited to the street circuit. Slightly harder and more durable than their equivalents last year, Pirelli believes the tyres will offer decreased degradation, having supplied the new tyres to three winter tests in Spain and Bahrain, but conservatively predicts that most cars will stop two-to-three times.
‘Increased performance gap’ between Pirelli F1 compounds
Following the conclusion of Formula Ones three preseason tests in Bahrain, Pirelli has stated that the characteristics of the 2014 P Zero tyre range were in line with expectations, maintaining similar performance to last year but with less degradation. Pirelli said there had been no blistering and very little graining, while also claiming a reduction in tread wear levels. The results of the final test also showed an increased performance gap between both the hard and the medium compound, and the medium and the soft compound: the two combinations of tyres that will be used at the first four races. Pirelli said this would give plenty of scope for the teams to formulate interesting strategies to boost their race prospects.
