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WHY WE’VE CHOSEN THE TYRES
* For the last of an unprecedented three races in Italy this year, Formula 1
returns to Imola for the first time since 2006. The middle three tyres in
the range have been chosen: C2 as the P Zero White hard, C3 as the P Zero
Yellow medium, and C4 as the P Zero Red soft.
* This race weekend, back-to-back with Portimao, has a very different look
to it with no Friday action and just a single 90-minute practice session on
Saturday before qualifying. As a result, the tyre quantities have been
adjusted. Instead of the usual 13, there will be 10 sets of tyres available
to each driver for the whole weekend: two sets of hard, two sets of medium
and six sets of soft.
* Drivers will have to give back three sets of tyres after this session,
leaving the same number of sets available for qualifying and the race as a
standard event. The intermediate and wet tyre allocation remains unaffected.
* The middle tyres in the range have been chosen to suit the characteristics
of Imola: a famously technical track with a wide range of different corners
that tests every aspect of a car’s performance. |
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TRACK CHARACTERISTICS
* Like many historic circuits across Europe, Imola was originally created as
a road course just after the Second World War, before becoming a permanent
circuit that first hosted a (non-championship) Formula 1 race in 1963.
* It has been continuously developed since then, with a number of
modifications implemented since Formula 1 last raced there 14 years ago. The
old Variante Bassa is gone and the long straight heading into Tamburello is
now broken up by two right-hand corners. More run-off areas have been added,
especially at Variante Alta, and there are new pit garages too: only the old
Marlboro tower remains from the previous start-finish complex.
* Unusually, Imola is an anti-clockwise circuit, with 12 left-hand corners
and nine right-hand corners. In contrast to Portimao, the circuit width is
quite narrow in places, which makes overtaking reasonably tricky and puts a
strong emphasis on race strategy.
* The circuit has been re-asphalted since F1 last race there, meaning that
the asphalt is generally quite smooth, and doesn’t put too much stress on
the tyres. Because of this, tyres in the middle of the range have been
chosen, well-suited to the average demands.
* However, the surface is still quite bumpy and there are some big kerbs,
meaning that it’s important to find an adaptable set-up and stick to the
racing line. The last Formula 1 team to drive at Imola was AlphaTauri, which
used the track for a filming day (plus some testing with an old car) over
the summer before the 2020 season re-started in Austria. However, this is
the first time that the current generation of turbo hybrid cars will race at
Imola.. |
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MARIO ISOLA - HEAD OF CAR
RACING
"The tests we carried out last weekend in Portimao to assess 2021 tyre
specifications went well, as expected. We are now analysing all the data
collected, because by November 1st we have to nominate the definitive
specification for next year. This weekend at Imola, there’s going to be a
lot to get used to in a short space of time. After travelling back from
Portugal the teams have to cope with a new race weekend format and reduced
practice time on what will be a brand new track for most of the drivers –
although inadvertently, they practised this exact scenario at the
Nurburgring recently. As you would expect on a circuit with so much history,
Imola has an old-school feel to it like Mugello, and we believe that the
drivers are going to love racing there. Finding the right set-up as quickly
as possible is going to be key to success, as the technical nature of the
track means that a number of important compromises have to be made, so it’s
always tricky to find the right balance. Overtaking could be quite tricky
and the weather at this time of year is unpredictable, so strategy is set to
play an important role – but that strategy has to be flexible enough to
adapt itself to changing circumstances."
OTHER PIRELLI NEWS
* The Spa 24 Hours, Pirelli’s biggest motorsport event of the year, was won
by Nick Tandy, Earl Bamber, and Laurens Vanthoor in a Porsche. The race was
interrupted by several red flags, with the majority of the race running in
the dark on Pirelli’s wet-weather Cinturato tyres. In total, * Pirelli
fitted around 12,000 tyres with a team of 65 fitters.
Pirelli has completed its initial World Rally Championship outdoor testing
programme with around 1400 kilometres covered – equivalent to the
competitive distance of nearly five WRC rallies. |
