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WHAT’S THE STORY?
The Yas Marina circuit in Abu Dhabi is a significant venue for Pirelli as it
is where the teams got to try out the P Zero compounds for the very first
time, at a test following last year’s grand prix.
That two-day test, along with other sessions carried out by Pirelli in Abu
Dhabi, means that the 5.554-kilometre track is the place where Pirelli has
the most Formula One experience – having tested a wide range of the P Zero
tyres there in the past. For the penultimate grand prix of the season,
Pirelli will bring the P Zero White medium tyre and P Zero Yellow soft tyre
to Abu Dhabi, which should be well suited to the 21 corners and two
straights that make up the lap.
The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix has the peculiarity of a late start at dusk with
the finish at night, meaning that track temperatures tend to fall and then
stabilise. This usually extends the tyre life. There is some degree of track
evolution over the course of the weekend, as the sand that sweeps in from
the surrounding desert gets cleaned off the surface. Overnight the sand will
often settle again, meaning that the track can start off dirty on each day.
The long straight puts plenty of energy through the inside shoulder of the
tyre, with the sweeping sequence of Turns 2, 3 and 4 at the start of the lap
also providing the rubber with a good work-out.
As usual, the teams will have 11 sets of slick tyres at their disposal for
the race weekend (six sets of medium tyres and five sets of soft tyres) as
well as four sets of intermediate tyres and three sets of wet tyres. On top
of the usual allocation, the teams will be given two extra sets of an
experimental soft compound tyre for use during free practice on Friday.
Following the grand prix, there will be a three-day young driver test from
15-17 November. The teams will have all four slick compounds available to
them, and they will be able to choose their tyres from a total allocation of
100 sets of tyres per team allowed for testing during the year. Pirelli will
also try out a limited number of prototype tyres during the test in
preparation for the 2012 season.
PIRELLI’S MOTORSPORT DIRECTOR SAYS:
Paul Hembery: “At this point in the season, our emphasis is obviously on
refining our tyre choices for next year, which is why we are seeing some new
tyres during free practice here and the young driver test. With very limited
opportunities for testing during the season, this is important for us to
collect information as we develop our strategy for 2012, which will feature
tyres that are a bit different from this year’s range. We’re very familiar
with the Yas Marina circuit as a testing venue so we’re confident that the
tyre choice we have made for the race should suit the characteristics of the
track. Abu Dhabi is an absolutely fantastic facility with some good
overtaking opportunities, so we’re very pleased to be celebrating our first
anniversary there.”
THE MEN BEHIND THE STEERING WHEEL SAY:
Pedro de la Rosa (McLaren Mercedes): “I've got some fantastic memories of
Abu Dhabi from the time I spent testing there with Pirelli before the season
started. I learned a lot and, given how the season has progressed, the work
was very positive. One of the main reasons for the success of this F1 season
is down to Pirelli and the tyre design. More pit stops than last year and
more tyre degradation have made the racing more exciting. Abu Dhabi is a
smooth track that is not too hard on the tyres – especially the rears – with
limited degradation. This means that it can take time to warm up the harder
compound and I see the soft tyre working well. I can see this being the
preferred tyre for the race, but the latest cars have a lot more downforce
than the car we used for testing and that could change the situation. One
thing I have learned this year is that you have to be open-minded and react
very quickly during a race to how the tyres develop. We saw that in Korea.
Everyone thought that the supersoft and the soft would be too aggressive a
choice but in the end it was a fantastic choice: we only had two pit stops.
I think everybody is going to enjoy racing at Abu Dhabi again: it's a nice
track with two good overtaking opportunities. You have some high-speed
corners and also some heavy braking for the chicanes, plus a slower and
technically demanding final sector. What's good as well is that Abu Dhabi is
a very safe track with lots of good-quality asphalt run-off. This means that
it's possible to experiment without taking a big risk.”
TECHNICAL NOTES:
* Abu Dhabi, like many circuits,
requires a medium-downforce compromise set-up in order to guarantee good
straight-line speed down the long main straight, which is more than one
kilometre, but also enough downforce to provide enough braking stability and
aerodynamic grip through the corners.
* There are comparatively few high-speed changes of direction, so in order
to help traction – one of the key demands that the tyres face on the Yas
Marina circuit – the engineers tend to set up their cars with a
comparatively soft rear end. At the start of the weekend the dust on the
track surface can cause graining, although the P Zero tyres have so far
proved to be quite resistant to this phenomenon.
* Abu Dhabi is located at sea level, ensuring a high ambient air pressure.
This benefits engine power, which increases further as temperatures fall
towards the end of the race.
PIRELLI IN ABU DHABI:
* Pirelli became the very first
company to run a Formula One car in wet conditions at night, during a test
at Abu Dhabi in January 2011, using a circuit artificially dampened by
140,000 litres of water.
* Toro Rosso driver Jaime Alguersuari became the very first driver to sample
a Pirelli tyre last year at Abu Dhabi, when he was the first driver to
emerge from the pit lane at the start of the two-day tyre test following the
grand prix. Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso ended up with the quickest time:
1m40.529s.
* Pirelli’s Middle Eastern office is run out of Dubai. The best-selling
tyres in the region are the P Zero range, designed for performance and
sports cars, and the Scorpion Verde: the world’s first performance SUV tyre
designed with the environment in mind by helping to reduce fuel consumption
and CO2 emissions. |
