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WHY WE’VE CHOSEN THE TYRES
* For Pirelli’s home race – on one of the fastest tracks of the season – the
three compounds in the middle of the range have been chosen: the most
popular selection of the season. The P Zero White hard is the C2, P Zero
Yellow medium is C3, and P Zero Red is the C4.
* The same compounds were selected for the last two years at Monza, offering
a good balance for all the different demands of the Italian Grand Prix.
* Monza is the second race this year that will host the new sprint
qualifying format, pioneered at the British Grand Prix in July. As a result,
the usual tyre allocation has changed.Rather than having 13 sets of tyres
for a weekend, there will be 12 sets. These will consist of two sets of P
Zero White hard, four sets of P Zero Yellow medium, and six sets of P Zero
Red soft. In addition to this, the teams will have up to six sets of
Cinturato Green intermediates and three sets of Cinturato Blue full wets
available in case of wet weather conditions.
* During Friday qualifying, only the soft tyre can be used. In sprint
qualifying, drivers will have a free choice of tyres with no obligatory pit
stop. At the end of this race, they will hand back the set of tyres that has
completed the most laps. Tyre rules for the grand prix on Sunday remain
unaltered, apart from every driver having a free choice of tyres for the
start. |
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TRACK CHARACTERISTICS
* Monza is best-known for its flat-out straights preceded by heavy braking
areas, but with some slower and more technical sections as well.
* The long straights also have the effect of cooling down the tyres, which
can affect the precision of the turn-in during the following corners. But
this of course depends also on the weather, which can vary at this time of
year.
* The teams run a low downforce package at Monza, in order to minimise drag
and so maximise top speed on the straights. This puts the emphasis more on
mechanical rather than aerodynamic grip.
* The long straights also make it advantageous to try and gain an
aerodynamic tow on the straights, which a number of the drivers tried last
year during qualifying.
* The Italian Grand Prix was delayed by a red flag last year, which
disrupted the planned tyre strategy, making it effectively a 26-lap sprint
race on fresh tyres at the end (with the top six all selecting the medium).
The year before at Monza, using the same tyre nomination, soft to hard was
the winning strategy – although the other two drivers on the podium went
from soft to medium. |
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MARIO ISOLA - HEAD OF CAR
RACING
“We have seen from the past that a number of different strategies are
possible at Monza, and with sprint qualifying adding another big variable
into the mix, the teams are forced to re-think their entire tyre strategy
for the weekend. It’s a rear-limited circuit with the focus on traction, so
the particular challenge is to stop the rear tyres from sliding and
overheating too much, as the low-downforce set up means that there is not
much pushing them into the ground. The weather plays a part as well, as this
issue is emphasised if temperatures are higher.”
OTHER PIRELLI NEWS
* The Acropolis Rally, round nine of the Pirelli-equipped World Rally
Championship, takes place during the same weekend as the Italian Grand Prix.
Toyota’s Sebastien Ogier currently leads the championship, with Pirelli’s
Scorpion gravel tyres nominated for Greece.
* Pirelli’s 2022 18-inch tyre test programme continues after Monza, with
Alpine completing three days of testing with next year’s prototype
intermediate and wet tyres at Magny-Cours in France. This is the final test
prior to the 2022 tyre specification being fixed.
* Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R tyres recently set a new production car record for
compact cars at the legendary Nurburgring Nordschleife in Germany, fitted to
the latest Audi RS3. |
