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Silverstone comes straight off
the back of Austria but the two events could not be more different: after
selecting the softest tyres in the P Zero range for Austria, the hardest
tyres in the line-up have been chosen for Silverstone (with only the soft
being nominated for both, which is present at every race this season). It’s
only the second time this year that the hardest tyres have been selected –
after Spain – and this is due to the high-energy, high-speed demands of the
British circuit, which features fast straights and rapid changes of
direction.
THE CIRCUIT FROM A TYRE POINT OF VIEW:
- Silverstone is one of the circuits that take the most lateral energy out
of the tyres all year.
- With high levels of downforce pushing onto the cars, the tyres face forces
from all directions.
- Weather is notoriously unpredictable: there can be bright sunshine or
torrential rain.
- At least two pit stops per car are expected, due to high levels of tyre
wear and degradation.
- The asphalt offers high levels of grip, which works the surface of the
tyre even harder.
- As was the case in 2014, Silverstone will host a two-day in-season test
after the grand prix.
THE THREE NOMINATED COMPOUNDS:
- Orange hard: not seen so often this year but likely to be used at some
point in Silverstone.
- White medium: will be a popular race tyre and is one of the mandatory
sets, along with hard.
- Yellow soft: seen at every GP year, the softest tyre available in
Silverstone is the
most popular choice among the teams in terms of quantities chosen.
HOW IT WAS A YEAR AGO:
- The race was affected by rain and safety cars, which skewed the strategy.
Race winner Lewis Hamilton stopped twice, going from medium to hard on lap
19 then to intermediate on lap 43.
- With rain suddenly falling towards the end, the best alternative strategy
was an opportunistic one. Sebastian Vettel’s early stop for intermediates
allowed him to make up two places and finish on the podium.
PAUL HEMBERY, PIRELLI MOTORSPORT DIRECTOR:
“With the majority of teams choosing mostly the softest compound available –
a consistent trend we have seen all year – it’s clear that the intention of
many drivers is to run quite an aggressive strategy, which on a track like
Silverstone could result in multiple pit stops. As last year showed, the
weather is also a typically British variable, which means that we are likely
to be in for an unpredictable race”.
WHAT’S NEW?
- There are no modifications to the circuit layout, surface or
infrastructure this year.
- Silverstone returns to the test calendar after the race, but this is not a
dedicated tyre test.
- However, Mercedes will run an additional car for Pascal Wehrlein at the
test, which will be a 2014-specification car fitted with prototype tyres (in
2016 dimensions, but with new technical contents).
OTHER THINGS THAT HAVE CAUGHT OUR EYE RECENTLY:
- Ferrari, Mercedes and Red Bull have all made differing tyre nominations
for Silverstone, while Haas is the only team that has different choices for
each driver. At the Goodwood Festival of Speed, Pirelli was fastest with Olly Clark: son of rally legend Roger Clark. He covered the famous hill in
just 46 seconds with a 860-horsepower Subaru.
- Pirelli was announced as sole supplier to CarX: Argentina’s rallycross
championship. |
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